|
Sell Your House
Keep Your Money
Sell your house FAST
WE DON'T JUST LIST YOUR HOUSE
WE MARKET IT
CHECK OUT OUR
TESTIMONIALS
Call
1-800-575-4911
|
 |
Orillia
is not alone regarding
contamination of groundwater
Here is a link for you to follow
|
If you won't drink it why would you bathe in it?????
For bottled water quality from all your taps.
Only $499.00 purchase or
$19.95 per month rental
Water So Pure 331-3771
|
Iron/Softener
Water So Pure
705 331-3771
Rental from
$29.95
|
"When a gov't starts trying to cancel dissent or avoid dissent — it’s rapidly losing its moral authority to govern."
Stephen Harper Apr 18 2005
"The government will prorogue the House so that it will not be held accountable for its shameful record”
Stephen Harper 2003
"We must clean up corruption and lift up the veils of secrecy that have allowed it to flourish...[we want to] replace the culture of entitlement with a culture of accountability."
Stephen Harper, 2005
Check out this story about the little known Steven Harper very interesting
For anyone who thinks life is hard Watch this Link
Feb. 08, 2010
Who Authorized Payment of $450,000 Without Council Consent???
There is something wrong with a City management who arbitrarily takes it upon itself to spend a whopping $450,000 of our money without even bothering to ask the elected council. Hell! never mind asking, they didn't even bother to tell them until they had to. So who in City Management has the authority to payout $450,000? Who signed the cheque? Who authorized the cheque to be drawn up?? Was anyone on council asked privately if they would support this payout? Was the mayor told about this payout? Did the mayor sanction this payout? If the mayor knew about it then why did he not confide in council before this money, which amounts to more than one percent of your taxes was paid out??? Was this payment even a legitimate expense???? What value did the city get in return for this $450,000????? Was this payout due to this council's Vision as Lying Lauer purports they have???????
There is much that should bother taxpayers about this backroom deal to waste our money. By all accounts the contractor who got this windfall was at least partly to blame for the cause of these costs. The city is very quick to spend money on lawyers and legal advice when it involves citizens but seems reluctant to seek advice on this particular matter. Instead they whip out the cheque book and pay without even giving council a chance to discuss it in an open forum. The funny thing about this whole incident is that, out of 8 councillors only two Spoke Out against it. Only two seemed upset that they were left out of the decision. Does anyone believe that the $450,000 cheque doesn't have Pinocchio's fingerprints all over it? Why was this payout not released to the public until his Pinocchiness was away???? Because the hope is that by the time he is back people will have forgot about it. Judging by the Packet's follow up, they have already forgotten and forgiven. Folks this is typical behaviour for Pinocchio, Boss Hogg, insider councillors Lauer, Fecht, Speers and Gardy who form a common front on most issues. I wrote about this unholy alliance and this is a perfect example of how it works. While guys like Speers will talk it up about a few hundred dollar expense they become silent about $450,000. But then it's going to the right pocket I suppose so the amount doesn't make any difference does it????
But don't forget folks this $450,000 is just the down payment as there is a further $218,000 that will be paid once the heat is off. That's right, as a claim has been delivered to the city for a big piece of equipment that was destroyed due to someone's negligence???? By the city paying out this $450,000 and admitting liability there will be a very expensive legal battle when the city is sued for the $218,000 unless the city pays. I mean the city has already admitted liability so can the litigation go any other way if the cheque is not cut???? Not likely. It will cost us $218,000 if we pay up without a fight or $300,000 with a fight as liability has already been admitted to. Looks to me like more of that Council Vision at work.
I hope that those councillors who are not afraid to Speak Out will demand an explanation from Pinocchio, Boss Hogg, Half Million Dollar Bob and Peter Dance tonight. This is a $750,000 payout which represents 2% of peoples tax bill with no value to the taxpayer. I hope councillors will demand an investigation and not by Boss Hogg's crew. I hope that councillors will censure Pinocchio if he had knowledge of this payout and hid it from them. Personally I have no doubt that this payout was done without some councillor's knowledge and done quickly. That is how Pinocchio operates. Remember his with holding the MOE repot before that $5,000,000 vote. Remember the theft of councillors mail to with hold information that didn't suit Pinocchio or Boss Hogg. Remember Boss Hogg lying about the Confidentiality Agreement with Molson that never existed and Pinocchio knowing it was a lie? Remember how Pinocchio as mayor and a member of the Police Services Board tried to influence police in an investigation. Remember the 40,000 tons of toxic soil dumped on the shores of Lake Simcoe using questionable testing to justify it. Don't forget they were censured by the MOE for not handling the samples in accordance to proper methods. Don't forget this stuff is flowing into your drinking water as I write this. Don't forget the 250,000 tons of soil placed on the MURF site which is squeezing toxins off site poisoning an ever wider area of the city. Come on people, how many strikes are you going to give these scoundrels???? Hopefully Orillia's voters will use their Vision on voting day.
jim tolnai
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Feb. 06, 2010
Lying Lauer Claims Vision and All is Well & Good
I read with interest Lying's response letter to Orsi's criticism of all that is, has and will happen in Orillia. It always gives me pleasure to have guys like Lauer come out to defend his or should I say their position on matters. But I especially like it when they try to defend that which is indefensible. Like as his example of all the vision that council has. Why he invites Angelo to look at all that is good he and the other bozo's have done or not done. This also gives me a chance and excuse to look back to on their behaviour and words of the past and re-read what I wrote years ago about that behaviour. So first let's do one on Vision. Back in 2002 Mayor Pinocchio and some if not all councillors attended a Chamber of Commerce breakfast. The mayor Speaking Out for himself, council and city management said They Really Had No Vision. Not one councillor then or later disputed the mayor including Lying. Here is what I wrote back then.
Dec. 2002
Mayor Admits No Vision
Mayor Stevens and several councilors attended a Chamber of Commerce breakfast where questions were posed to them. One of the questions posed was concerning the Mayor and councils vision for the future of Orillia. The Mayors answer could have been written by Stephen Leacock himself it was so funny. He stated that he nor council really had a vision for Orillia and that “we're creating a vision as we go”. Is this guy for real? Are the councillors attending for real? How can any organization the size of Orillia operate without a plan for the future? Although I was not at the breakfast so I am relying on reports from people who did attend non of the councillors took exception to the Mayors words leaving me to believe that he spoke for all councillors who were present.
So my next question is .Why do we need these people.? It's obvious they have no course set for future development. This also explains why when Downey called his emergency meeting there was no vision as to the consequences and why non of the councillors questioned his conflict of interest. This is why council did not question why 12 acres of prime shopping center land was sold so cheap. Did council not even think that selling this12 acres creates a monopoly as far as shopping centers go. At the same meeting the fact of the Orsi companies controlling Orillia's development was brought up. It's true that if all the available land for development is owned by one individual all of us are at that persons mercy economically. So the suggestion of annexing land from the townships was broached. Does Orillia really need to annex or should we be more creative and not make sweetheart deals.
Taxpayers in Orillia can not afford growth of the kind we now have. Developers must pay their way or not be allowed to develop. Use up the land which is going unused along West St. Fill the A&P building and the plaza down there. Develop the Tudhope building on West and Colborne. Fix West St. so that cars don't get rattled. There is no shortage of projects just of vision.
jim tolnai
So is it anywonder that whatever these guys get involved with turns into a mish mash and always costs way more than similar projects in other communitys. The problem with their kind of governance is that they keep having to lie and cover up for their lack of vision. So, as Lying invited Angelo and all of us we should analyze what they call success. I will start with the city transit system and our taxi situation.
Transit and Taxi Service
Orillia's transit problem's date back a long way. It really never kept the customer in mind and service has always been sparse. Back in 2000 I proposed a complete revamp of the system and reduce service time from hourly to every 30 minutes. I had a plan and still do which I re-introduced in 2002 with the slight change of making it a 20 minute service. But all fell on deaf ears. Now 10 years later Lying is using the current debaucle of the transit system as a sign of progress. Why he is downright proud of the so called improvements. In reading the New Transit study it simply asks for the same old way of doing business with really no improvement. While users are quite upset these guys simply keep on trucking the same old way of not listening to anyone. Lyinging's statement denigrating those with vision and an interest I might add claiming they are sour grapers. "My experience with those that reference lack of vision as a problem, are actually saying -- if it's not my vision, it's not vision". When someone like Lying starts from that point of view when people Speak Out, then sorry but nothing will change. The exact opposit is true when time and again anyone who dares question them or Speaks Out is immediately accused of being negative and an obstructionist. Time after time whether it is the MURF, Library, Transit, Ditchs, Roads Parking or whatever we are all dismissed as trouble makers. Anyway here is what I proposed back in 2002.
Nov. 2002
Orillia Transit vs Taxis
Orillia buses run empty most of the time and problems with the taxi industry are still with us. I spoke these words two years ago when I ran for council. Today the old problems still exist and new ones have been created. Buses still run empty and taxi fares have increased by up to hundreds of percent. In my campaign I suggested that there was a better way to handle transportation in Orillia. It is simple and would not cost the taxpayer any money.
With Kyoto coming public transportation will become a key element of meeting it's targets.
To fix the transit problem just answer the question .why don't I ride the buses. Your answer will be inconvenient. Buses run hourly in Orillia. That means a two hour window to do a 20 or 30 minute errand. So people opted for using cabs which were flat rate. Now a $4 cab ride has been made into an $8 ride and yet the buses are still empty and the cabs are empty too. I think it's time to look at my concept.
Why not stop spending $400,000 on each bus and subsidize their operation to the tune of hundreds of thousands more each year and offer 20 minute service. Why can't the taxi industry and council get together and work out a deal for cabs to take over the transit job? During the transit hours instead of buses use cabs to move people. I am told that there are over 50 cab licenses in Orillia. That means at 4 people per cab 200 people can be moved every 20 minutes at peak times. The four buses don't have that capacity. So now your wondering how this works? It's simple. Any cab company signing on would supply good quality vehicles and accept transit tickets as payment during the 6am and 6pm window. The public would share the ride just as they do on the buses now. If an individual wants a cab all to themselves then they would order up that cab as they do now and pay full fare. Fares can be deposited into boxes. The cab company then submits an invoice for collected tickets to city hall and are paid weekly. Cab companies will require some help to modernize their fleets so money from the sale of the buses and money that is being used to subsidize the system now would be paid out on a per car basis to them. This results in a zero cost to make transit more convenient. Cabs after 6pm to 6am then run as cabs only and charge whatever the market will allow. Cab licenses could be limited to what is required and a very stringent inspection of contracted cars could be instituted. A three strike your out rule that is enforced would keep the cab companies in line. This is a win win situation for all parties without throwing more money at
it. Let's hear from all concerned to work out the details and let's start the process.
Totally ignored by everyone of them as if I had never said a word. Oh! I should clarify that because Lying did approach me one day back in 2001 about how he had read about a community in Quebec who were actually using their cabs this very way for years and successfully. I thought maybe this guy actually had something on the ball and would look into this more and maybe even pursue the idea. Unfortunately there was nothing but a great big silence. If one does their math on this transit study there is on average 17 people per bus per hour. Even if the use increases by 100% my idea of using the existing taxis could handle it with just a fraction of the rolling stock available. But if it's not their vision it seems never to be considered a vision. So Lying is half right, only he has it backwards. It is they who won't see anything but their own way and hell with everyone else.
In 2010 I would add a couple of more changes. One is that the vehicles used for public transit must be converted to natural gas which will reduce emissions by 80% and increase the life of vehicle engines by close to double and subsidize this change over. Then, as the city owns the old railway station and it is already being used as a transportation center expand the parking lot for a couple of hundred or more cars. If some one parks their car there for say $6.00 they get free transit for the day using their parking stub for the day as a ticket. That in itself will open up at least 100 spots or more downtown on an on going basis. With 20 minute service many will choose to leave their cars at home anyway. I mean why bother to start it up and fight for a parking spot. Then make transit stops not just on corners downtown but mid block as well all along Mississaga so that people will be able to literally step out of stores and catch a ride. Now that is service. Increase fares to $3.00 which is easily justified by the increase in service. We will save the environment. we will solve a large part of the parking problem downtown. We will solve the Georgian College problem as service is easily cranked up or down depending on need as well as create employment for quite a few people without the city budget being compromised. I want to caution that this is not about saving the city money but about holding the current expenses yet creating a transit service that puts quality and service first and foremeost and will be second to none. That Lying is my vision. So what is yours and Pinocchio's????? I look forward to you ignoring it.
jim tolnai
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Feb. 02, 2010
LEACHATE FROM MUNICIPAL DUMPS HAS SAME TOXICITY AS LEACHATE FROM HAZARDOUS WASTE DUMPS
In a new study, researchers at Texas A&M University have compared leachate from municipal landfills with leachate from hazardous waste landfills and they report, "...There is ample evidence that the municipal waste landfill leachates contain toxic chemicals in sufficient concentration to be potentially as harmful as leachate from industrial waste landfills." Specifically, the Texas researchers compared leachate from several municipal landfills with leachate from the notorious Love Canal landfill (and other hazardous waste landfills, such as Kin-Buc in Edison, NJ) and they found the leachates similar in their cancer-causing potential.
Leachate is the liquid that is produced when rain falls on a landfill, sinks into the wastes, and picks up chemicals as it seeps downward. Industries creating "hazardous wastes" (as legally defined under federal law) may not send those wastes to municipal landfills, but must instead send them to special hazardous waste landfills.
When a new municipal landfill is proposed, advocates of the project always emphasize that "no hazardous wastes will enter this landfill." The Texas study shows that even though municipal landfills may not legally receive "hazardous" wastes, the leachate they produce is as dangerous as the leachate from hazardous waste landfills.
Dr. Kirk Brown and Dr. K.C. Donnelly at Texas A&M, authors of the new study, examined data on the composition of leachate from 58 landfills. The data they reviewed showed 113 different toxic chemicals in leachate from municipal landfills and 72 toxic chemicals in leachate from hazardous waste landfills. The abundance of toxics in municipal landfills probably occurs because the entire spectrum of consumer products ends up in municipal landfills, whereas hazardous waste landfills serve a limited number of industries within a region.
The actual source of the toxic chemicals in municipal landfills is not known precisely. Under federal law (RCRA Subtitle C) each "small quantity generator" can send up to 2640 pounds per year of legally-hazardous chemicals to municipal landfills. In 1980, the EPA [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] estimated that 600,000 tons per year of legally-hazardous wastes were going to municipal dumps from 695,000 "small quantity generators."
Illegal dumping may be another source; illegal dumping is impossible to prevent entirely because someone bringing in a truckload of wastes may hide a few gallons, or a few barrels, of hazardous chemicals in the middle of the truckload. The higher the price of legal disposal, the more incentive people have to dump illegally. However, the most likely source of most of the toxic materials in municipal landfills is legally-disposed household products like paint solvents, oils, cleaning compounds, degreasing compounds, and pesticides. "In addition, the final depository of most of the products of our modern industrial society is the municipal waste landfill where the paints, plastics, and pharmaceuticals dissolve and degrade in the acidic anaerobic [oxygen-free] environment, thereby, releasing degradation products which may be even more toxic than the products from which they originated," say Brown and Donnelly.
The findings of Brown and Donnelly will come as no surprise to many researchers who have known for years that municipal leachate is as toxic as the leachate from industrial landfills. For example, in an article entitled, "APPLICATION OF HYDROGEOLOGY TO THE SELECTION OF REFUSE DISPOSAL SITES," Ronald A. Landon reported in 1969 in the JOURNAL OF GROUND WATER, Vol. 7 (Nov.-Dec., 1969), pgs. 9-13, that "Leachate at its source, that is within the landfill, has concentrations and characteristics of many industrial wastes; and in many instances would be better treated as such a waste." (pg. 12)
What Brown and Donnelly have contributed is a quantitative analysis of the toxicity and the carcinogenic potential of leachates from the two types of landfills.
Brown and Donnelly conclude, "The risk calculations based on suspect carcinogens... indicate that the estimated carcinogenic potency for the leachate from some municipal landfills may be similar to the carcinogenic potency of the leachate from the Love Canal landfill."
In industrial landfill leachate, 32 chemicals cause cancer; 10 cause birth defects, and 21 cause genetic damage; in municipal landfill leachate, 32 chemicals cause cancer, 13 cause birth defects, and 22 cause genetic damage.
The new study, "An Estimation of the Risk Associated with the Organic Constituents of Hazardous and Municipal Waste Landfill Leachates," appears in the journal, HAZARDOUS WASTES AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Spring, 1988), pgs. 1-30. Request a free reprint from Dr. Kirk Brown, Soil and Crop Sciences Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Phone (409) 845-5201.
--Peter Montague, Ph.D.
Descriptor terms: leachate; leaks; toxicity; hazardous waste industry; msw; texas a&m; landfilling; cancer; love canal; kin-buc landfill; studies; findings; household hazardous wastes; kirk brown; k.c. donnelly; rcra; epa; illegal dumping; haulers; risk assessment; birth defects; developmental disorders;
Because Mayor Pinocchio and his councillors dumped 40,000 tons of hazardous material from the MURF site Orillia's dump should be classified as both a municipal and hazardous waste dump. Thanks councillors Lauer, Cipolla, Gardy, Speers and of course Mayor Pinocchio along with Ian Brown, Lori Koughan and Peter Dance. Another first for Orillia.
Below are some pictures I took off shore at the Orillia Dump back in 2005. For the MOE to only now finding problems with leachate escaping from the site is terribly disingenuous. Lake Simcoe is simply dead where ever this leachate is present. In my visit I witnessed a number of places where leachate was actually seen bubbling up out of the sand. My visit was during August which typically is a dry month. Imagine the volume during the wet months like April, May, June, Oct. and Nov.
Picture above shows one of these springs of leachate. Right beside my shadow where the brownish leachate is drifting up out of the bottom.
There is absolutely no life in much of this area of lake bottom. No water bugs, no fly's, no crayfish, no fish just an eerie toxic landscape.
Another eerie moon type landscape lifeless and cold as Pinocchio's heart. This picture reminds me of the property at 95 Barrie Rd. where they are building that new apartment building. Nothing grew on that property for quite a few years just like this picture of the lake bottom.
Landfill leachate-induced toxicity in mice
Bakare AA, Mosuro AA, Osibanjo O.
Cell Biology and Genetics Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. adebakar19@yahoo.com
Microbial, plant and studies in aquatic animals have shown that landfill leachate is toxic. However, more information about its effects in terrestrial animals is required. As a part of ongoing research into the toxic effects of landfill leachate in Nigeria, we evaluated the acute effects of raw and simulated leachates from Abadina, Orita-Aperin and Oworonsoki dump sites, all in Southwest Nigeria, in mice. Raw leachates were obtained directly from the dumps while the simulated leachates were obtained from the solid wastes in the laboratory by using the ASTM method. The samples were designated Abadina raw leachate (ARL), Orita-Aperin raw leachate (OARL) and Oworonsoki raw leachate (OWRL); and Abadina simulated leachate (ASL), Orita-Aperin simulated leachate (OASL) and Oworonsoki simulated leachate (OWSL). Their physico-chemical properties were determined in accordance with standard analytical methods. Young male mice (12-15 wk) weighing 24-31 g were exposed to 1%, 5%, 10%, 25%, 50% and 100% concentrations of each test samples for 5 consecutive days and were observed for a period of 96 h for toxic response. Mortality recorded at different times for each sample at the various concentrations was mostly within the last 48 h of the exposure period. The LC50 obtained are 100% for both ARL and OARL, and 50% for OWRL; and 83.50% and 50% for ASL and OWSL, respectively. It was indeterminate for OASL. Apart from this, other toxic effects like weight loss, sluggishness, loss of hair and reduced food intake were observed. The investigated samples were ranked as OWRL > OWSL > ASL > OARL > ARL > OASL. The observed effects were due to the toxic constituents present in the leachate samples. This suggests that the mixtures have the potential to cause harmful effect to public health and our environment through seepage into ground or surface water.
PMID: 15248658 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
How can anyone have faith in the MOE or city politicians and management???
jim tolnai
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Feb. 01, 2010
Another Leachate Warning That was Ignored
Here is another report we published here way back in March 2006 about Leachate. Please read the report of what happened in St. Catherine's Ont. and look at the picture. Our dump has been leaching into Lake Simcoe for it's entire life which is over 40 years.
Mar. 02, 2006
WHAT DOES LEACHATE LOOK LIKE?
by: Colleen Cooney
Most people never see leachate from a dump. Leachate is the chemical soup that forms when all the garbage mixes with water, either rain or ground water. The leachate in the Orillia dump contains heavy metals including mercury, tetrachlorethylene, trichlorethylene and much more. The leachate from the Orillia dump, which is in a wetland on the shore of Lake Simcoe, flows into Lake Simcoe and is flushed away - but where is away?
The photo of the orange leachate was taken in St. Catharine's Ontario in 1991. The Glenridge Landfill is in a quarry in the Escarpment; St. Catharine's is below the landfill. The leachate flowed from the dump into the ground beneath the City, spouts of leachate gushed into the air from the manhole covers in the street, leachate flowed up through pipes into one woman's home, then up through the toilet onto the floor.
Picture above right identyfies Gartner Lee as Environmental Managers. That's right the very same ones we have working for us here in Orillia????? Did Gartner Lee put this one on their resume?????
St. Catharine's had to spend millions of dollars to clean up, dig a trench, replace and drain a creek, excavate two properties after high levels of toxc chemicals were found on them, along with expensive Consultant's studies and reports.
So now we know what leachate looks like and we also know that about 78,000,000 litres of it flows every year from the Orillia dump into Lake Simcoe.
Do we as a society have a responsibilty to install a leachate collection system for Orillia's dump?
After all the years that our dump has operated it is only now that the MOE says anything??/ How can we trust anything the MOE says or does??? TRUTH IS WE SHOULD NOT TRUST THE MOE. Look at how the MOE acted on the MURF for the first 4 or 5 years. All they did was help mayor, council and city management cover up the truth. Over in Midland there is a controversy brewing regarding a dump that is leaking right now. This dump was assumed by the County who are now responsible for it. The plume is moving towards the Midland Swamp which is the source for the Town of Midland's water supply. Check out the article http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2300001. My favorite part is what Councillor Kramp said.
" In December when he raised his concerns, Kramp said that given the county and the MOE's track records concerning Site 41, "the only people I trust to protect the water of the people of Midland are the people around this (the council) table." Orillia don't get fooled into thinking that you and your family are protected by the MOE or the city. They have proven themselves Untrustworthy for anyone to give them the benefit of doubt any longer.
jim tolnai
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Jan. 31, 2010
Remediation?????
Generally, remediation means providing a remedy, so environmental remediation deals with the removal of pollution or contaminants from environmental media such as soil, groundwater, sediment, or surface water for the general protection of human health and the environment or from a brownfield site intended for redevelopment . Remediation is generally subject to an array of regulatory requirements, and also can be based on assessments of human health and ecological risks where no legislated standards exist or where standards are advisory.
I don't understand why Cipolla is so excited about the letter from the MOE??? The headline of the Packet's story on this last day of the week letter from the MOE reads "Ministry of the Environment approves remediation plan for brownfield site " If there is to be Remediation on this site and the word Remediation means "environmental remediation deals with the removal of pollution or contaminants from environmental media such as soil, groundwater, sediment, or surface water for the general protection of human health and the environment or from a brownfield site intended for redevelopment . " then that is wonderful http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_remediation. So after 10 years of saying that this site must be Remediated before it can be used by myself and others, and it will be done then let's "Git'er done". What I don't understand is why Cipolla, who has fought tooth and nail against a clean up to make this site safe is now overjoyed that the site will be cleaned up??? Would it not have been easier and cheaper to have started the clean up 10 years ago???? Makes me wonder just what is in this letter, which apparently only appeared on Friday??? Same "Sh*t" different day. Throughout this long 10 years all these announcement have been floated on Friday afternoons when people couldn't get access to the information but the powers had a FREE News day to spread it thicker.
Before I get excited or anyone else gets excited let's wait for the paper work. For Cipolla to be floating a $43,000,000 MURF is a tad premature. I am still looking for an answer as to why the city was drilling holes on Queen St. E. a hundred feet from the corner of West. St. on the South side for over 3 weeks during the Christmas season???? Yup! they were drilling in the same spot for 3 whole weeks plus a couple of extra days. I was starting to think they had maybe struck oil or something valuable??? So folks let's wait and see before we believe anything Lying Lauer or Cipolla says is wonderful really the truth???? One only needs to look back how many times these guys have said exactly the same thing only to be found lacking in credibility each and every time. The next 45 days will be most interesting as people will be able to digest, question, support or oppose this ???wonderful news????. Then if all is as Lying and Ralph claim, then let's get excited. But until then one thing is for sure from my point of view. Unless the site is cleaned nothing will go there, especially a swimming pool.
As for building a Twin pad Arena, swimming pool, gymnasium, walking track, meeting rooms etc. for $43,000,000 that too is a pipe dream. If that were anywhere near the truth then how come they haven't been able to come up with numbers anywhere close to that so far??? Is Cipolla trying to say that the outside component of the MURF plan was going to cost $20,000,000??? If a Twin pad arena currently under construction for over $26,000,000 then how could they build an Aquatic Center for a mere $17,000,000 what with it being the most expensive part of the project??? So let's wait folks and see just what the truth is. Only then do we need to react with thoughtful discussion and of course thoughtful questions. In a search of the City's web-site be darned if i could find any correspondence from the MOE dated Friday January 29, 2010??? So we will have to wait patiently to find out what all this Good News really is??? If it was really good news I am sure Ralph and Lying would be a bit more anxious to let us see it????
jim tolnai
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Jan. 30, 2010
Supreme Court Fails to Protect Canadian Citizens
A true sign of Civil Rights is that all citizens are protected by the Constitution, Government and our Courts. Canadians are angry about the torture of Afghan prisoners on our watch as we should be. Harper shows his true colours in trying to deflect answering for his behaviour by shutting down Parliament.
But it strikes me as odd that when a Canadian is held and tortured we the people say little. Kahdar is a Canadian born Citizen who his government has abandoned. If the Harper government can ignore one citizen's rights then, any future government can do it to anyone of us. Constitutional rights are everyone's Constitutional rights not just those we like or agree with. If one person's rights are violated by the government then all our rights are violated. Until we as Canadians realize that simple truth, then each and everyone of us is vulnerable whether we deserve it or not.
Kahdar is Muslim and his family might be crazy as a loon, but for better or worse he is one of ours. If he needs to be punished for what he did or might have done as a child, then let's bring him home and punish him. Let the courts decide guilt or innocence and not a politician like Harper. We must not let our government, in our name condone the torture of anyone let alone a Canadian Citizen. And we mustn't allow a political decision to strip his Civil Rites from him or his Citizenship.. If he, as a born Canadian citizen can be treated this way then your children and grandchildren can be next at the whim of the next dictator in the making.
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out
—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out
—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out
—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me
—and there was no one left to speak out.
Orillia please make sure you Speak Out or one day you might loose Your Civil Right you failed to use or Protect.
jim tolnai
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Jan. 29, 2010
Too Bad Orillian's Didn't Listen
Orillia's environmental time bomb is ticking much louder and everyone should be listening intently. For years there have been warnings about what is one of the stupidest decisions ever made by past councils. That would be the locating of a dump on the shores of Lake Simcoe. Since 1991 Orillians have been told over and over again that the dump must be attended to. I have written on a number of occasions right here over the years but it all fell on deaf ears.
Well this week, time has caught up to Orillia's inability to protect our environment and Lake Simcoe in particular. What should have been done out of genuine concern for the lake, Pinocchio and all three of his dysfunctional councils can not ignore or cover up any longer. The MOE is now finally, after 20 years of knowingly turning a blind eye to what has been happening is now ordering that something be done. Back during the election campaign in 2006 I issued a list of problems that I would go after if elected and fix. But Ward One voters decided that their environment, water and health was not important enough and voted against candidates like myself and Kelly Clune. I am reprinting my pledge which I published here and in print as well back in 2006. I pledged if elected to make sure that the dumps leachate issue would be looked after. Unfortunately because no one on council has taken this matter seriously or given it any thought, there has been an additional 234,000,000 liters of leachate which has entered the lake over the last 3 years. Hopefully voters will finally take this matter seriously in the upcoming election. Once again all those issues that Pinocchio, councillors and city management were warned about yet chose to ignore is coming back to haunt taxpayers.
Dances assertion that the cost for this fix would be about $2,000,000. What a load of bunk once more. This project will be $12,000,000 plus. With Dance's and city managements' reputation of handling projects it most likely will be over $20,000,000 plus??????? Dance is being disingenuous and makes light of what it takes to build and run one of these systems. He doesn't bother to tell you about what needs to be done with this leachate once you do capture it. Why it has to be filtered and treated. Then the sludge from it needs to be treated and disposed of. So while the project will be $12,000,000 plus, the operation of it and final disposal of the toxins will go on for the next hundred years costing maybe many hundreds of thousands if not millions every year. Yup! once more the next generation of taxpayers will bear the cost because we accepted scoundrels and liars our their leaders. Too bad????
Sept. 17, 2006
Election Platform Explained #3
(Orillia Dump)
Here is my third installment explaining my concerns and vision. Most people are not aware of just how serious problems Orillia faces. For years previous councils have ignored an environmental disaster in the making and if elected I will work to mitigate the damage that is happening now and will be even worse in the future if we do not address it. I am talking about our Dump located on the shores of one of the world's most magnificent lakes. Lake Simcoe is under siege from over development, agricultural runoff, leaking septic systems, chemicals and of course the Orillia City Dump. Now many refer to it as our Landfill which gives one a different picture than the word Dump which is what we are really doing there. We take stuff that no one wants around their house or business because it would pollute their own environment and they send it down to the lake shore and Dump it. Then bury it and pretend it does not exist because we really don't see it anymore. We falsly think of it as gone.
Since the 1960's we have been hauling not only household garbage but for a number of years industrial wastes as well to this site. Back in 1966 and 67 I worked for a company called P&M (Porcelain & Metals) located where our City Hall is today. As a 17 year old I was asked from time to time to load the garbage truck (an old flatbed with wooden sides) with all sorts of industrial materials. Back then very few if any of the workers knew just what a terrible thing we were asked to do. A Dump was there to be dumped on and we did as we were told. We dumped everything that was left over from the industrial process. But what has bothered me for years and I have tried in vain to get authorities attention about was the 45 gallon barrels of solvents that were dumped.
You see P&M had paint lines which used not just paint but degreasers and thinners. There were thousands of pounds of rags used over the couple of years I worked there which were soaked with degreasers and when dirty thrown in the garbage to be taken to the dump. Chemicals were used to degrease sheet metal before painting. When these chemicals were dirty they were put back in their drums and sent off to the dump. Same was true of spoiled paint and paint thinners and that, was just from the Fiat Department. The Silk Screening, Sheet Metal Department and the Chalkboard department added their own poisons and all went to the dump as P&M had no land on which to bury it like Otaco did. As a 17 year old I admit that not once did I question why we were dumping these materials and not once were we told the stuff could pose a danger. Like all other factory workers of the day we lived in ignorant bliss. Well today we do know better and I believe it is our duty to make sure no harm or as little as possible is done. Simply it is our duty. I can not turn the clock back but I can make sure we do the right thing today and face our environmental responsibilities.
Way back when John Palmer was mayor and the Dump was being assessed I went to him and tried my best to convince him that the bomb was down there. He dismissed me and would not believe my story of these full drums of spent chemicals (like this council and mayor dismissed me about the drums at the West St. site) that I along with others personally rolled off that truck. For over two years that I worked for this company I was sent on that truck at least a dozen times and each time it was the same. Of course in the same time frame there were many more trips I didn't go on so you get the idea of the huge amount of toxic garbage from this one company alone. Anyway in trying to convince John Palmer that I wasn't some Kook I relayed a story that was provable and he could check. You see it was the summer of 1967 I believe and a truckload of garbage was sent out for disposal. The load contained the contaminated rags and other garbage plus some of the 45 gallon drums filled with dirty degreasers and solvents. I wasn't sent on this truck but will never forget what happened on that trip, never the less. You see the boys backed up to the dump area where there happened to be a bit of a garbage fire smoldering. They tossed off the garbage and rolled the barrels off. As one of the barrels hit the ground it either cracked or the plugs weren't done down tight and the chemical spilled out. Fire and flammable chemical makes quite a combination and thankfully as the drum erupted in flames everyone got away without getting hurt. The same could not be said for the truck. It burned to the ground. Even the tires burned. All that was left was the frame. The Packet did a story and the fire department attended the scene so that there is plenty of evidence if one was to just look. It turned out that John Palmer either looked and decided to pretend he knew nothing or didn't bother looking at all?
About three years ago I related the story to one of the MOE people we were dealing with over the MURF site. I believe it was Ian Mitchell who came to one of our Coalition meetings to hear our concerns. MY hope was that he would check out the information and once confirmed they (MOE) would be more apt to listen to our story on what went on at the West St. site (chemical dumping and barrels). I heard nothing for months until the battle got nasty and the MOE was starting to look bad. At that point I was contacted by one of the MOE officers and asked in a voice mail to meet them at the dump to identify the area as best I could remember. Unfortunately I didn't get the voice mail until later in the day. I called and ended up leaving him a voice mail describing the area. Somehow either they dropped it or went ahead from a sketch I also provided by fax with the search to try and find these barrels. I have never heard from them again and even though I wrote about the incident in Speaking Out to my knowledge those barrels are still there. By the way P&M was only one of a number of companies who dumped their waste there. So for all you curious people and nay sayers the proof of what I am saying is there in the Packet archives and in the Fire Department records. The exact date I do not know but I am confident it was in the summer of 67.
Back in 92 the hearing on the Dump found that a Leachate Capture System must be built around the Dump as 78,000,000 liters was leaching out annually. This has been ignored by council after council and today that totals one billion one hundred seventeen million (1,117,000,000) liters having leaked since just 1991. The result is easily seen with a short boat ride off the shore of the place. I have taken the ride a couple of years ago and published the pictures of the dead lake bottom. You can actually see bubbling from the bottom with no sign of vegetation or life in large areas. Sort of like at 95 Barrie Rd. except under water. But mayor, council and city management say "don't worry we know what we are doing". Well unfortunately that is the problem. In spite of the horrendous harm being done to the environment these people are knowingly ignoring it.
If you choose to elect me your representative I promise that a Leachate System which was supposed to be installed 20 years ago and should have been installed from day one that the Dump was put there will be on my list. I will pull out all the stops to make sure we mitigate the damage that is being done as I write this. This incessant environmental harm has gone on far too long and must be attended to. After all where do you think your drinking water comes from??? The dump is up stream from the water intake pipe isn't it?????? These people on council now and in the past have ignored what is plain to see, claiming it would cost too much money. Well folks the Dump is a money making proposition for the city. Where has all the money gone that the facility earned when the townships were using it???? Where has all the money gone that is collected for all those loads of waste people take there not to mention business and contractors and pay for the privelage???? Where has all the money gone that is earned from recycling???? Where has all the money gone that we paid and pay in property taxes for waste disposal ?? Shouldn't it have been used to build a Leachate Capture System????? Shouldn't it have been used to protect your environment and drinking water???? Where is all this money??? It sure didn't go for road repair.
One of many dead zones you will see if you take the tour.
jim tolnai
Jan. 26, 2010
Catching Up
I've been watching the goings on in disbelief as usual. Having been silent doesn't mean I have lost interest. In fact I have been looking into all that has gone on so I can write with knowledge of what I Speak Out about. My last item was about the goings on out in Rama and believe me reliable information is hard to come by from what Sharon Henry has turned into a closed society. But I do have some reliable tidbits.
Rama
After speaking with a number of people my question "How much money has been paid out to Mr. Doug Lewis and his law firm by the Band since Ms. Henry took the helm"????? was not answered directly. I was told that Ms. Henry and council members will not divulge that information to band members. It seems, that too is an Internal Matter. Problem is that anyone who asks questions about almost anything automatically becomes the enemy. Say, isn't that how those who question mayor, council and city management are treated as well??? Anyway, members of the band who want to know where their money is being spent/wasted have come up with a figure on legal costs. They all say that because there is no transparency or co-operation from those in power, they have had to put together what they believe to be as accurate as anyone's guess. Now wait for it. $30,000,000 dollars is what they say has been spent on legal's in the last 10 years or so since Ms. Henry became the Grand Pubah. That comes to $3,000,000 per year. Wow!!! So, while my question was not directly answered one can certainly use their imagination as to how much went to local law firms. So while native children drink water laced with sewage or is it sewage laced with water, heap big whiteman lawyers are drinking Champaign.
The other news/information from the same sources is that a new formula for money sharing has been negotiated. The new split becomes Rama getting $30,000,000 per year as their share instead of a percentage. Pretty nice chunk of change. But according to the people I spoke with that falls $10,000,000 plus short of what is being spent to run???? their community??? well the money is being spent, whether it is for the benefit of the community my sources question. They are all worried that while the Golden Goose isn't dead, it's wings have been severely damged. They are concerned that unless there is a change in spending/wasting, the money will soon run out leaving nothing for the people.
Orsi Runs for Mayor
I wasn't surprised to read that Angelo is making a run for office, what with his Speaking Out campaign via the Packet over the last year or so. But I must say I don't believe that it is in the best interest of Angelo or the city if he actually wins and serves. Were Angelo an ordinary run of the mill developer he might be able to pull it off? But Angelo and his family control almost all of the raw undeveloped land that Orillia has within it's boundaries and large holdings beyond to Severn Township. Both commercial, residential and industrial. No matter what came before council, Angelo would have to exclude himself from taking part. He could not discuss in public or private any development within the city or even development deals between other municipalities . If his/family company's wanted to do anything he would have to claim a conflict. But more importantly even when one of his family's competitors went before council he would have to do the same. Why? Because any input into development could be construed as a conflict. If a competitor is denied they could claim conflict because their competitor didn't want competition. Even if they got what they wanted others could look for a connection to that project to future projects the Orsi companies' would be undertaking at some point.
While size and wealth might be an advantage as a business, it is a disadvantage in public office. Angelo might be the best mayor Orillia ever or never had but he would be so tied up legally and politically that it would be to no one's advantage. While Angelo and his family may have done many things in Orillia, becoming the mayor will not be one of them from my point of view. For me having Angelo as mayor would certainly make Orillia a more interesting place but the smell of Gridlock is heavy in the air. I personally think Angelo will have second thoughts and will change his mind. One clue for me is the public legal advice from Doug Downey and his mentor on Coldwater St. Seems Downey doesn't think Angelo would have conflict problems and could pull it off. Angelo I am sure you have real lawyers working for you who will give you honest advice. Downey is a political animal dressed up as a lawyer who puts politics ahead of almost everything in life. Bad enough trying to believe a lawyer but believing a political/lawyer should be on everyone's list as a "Warning!! Warning!! Danger!! Danger!! don't go there."
Library
While a library downtown is a good thing. Spending $26,000,000 plus to get it is stupid. While the Woolworth building sits under used mayor and council bullheadly carry on busting up Orillia's China. It is with great appreciation that I commend both Angelo and Pat Kehoe for making sure that the right thing is done on this project. I wrote a while back and dubbed the library MURF 2. Not because of chemicals but because of the incompetence that this mayor, this council and this city management are so famous for. They are simply people who have holed themselves up among only those who agree with them. They discard all other opinions and advice. They spend like drunken sailors on shore leave with no thought to Sunday morning's consequences, not to mention Monday morning's reality. They make decisions totally in the dark without questioning anything. I mean come on folks. Not doing a proper soil test and de watering implications on a $26,000,000 spend is incompetent at minimum and almost criminal in the extreme. Exactly how they handled the MURF, so nothing changes. They end up doing nothing, learning nothing while wasting millions.
When Pat Kehoe came out with his idea of saving more than $10 million dollars on the library while making use of an ill used building, I thought surely these people could see the sheer advantages. But it turns out that they see nothing unless they themselves thought it up. Even though the library downtown is a great idea, the whole project they want simply should die there as a want. As with the MURF, mayor, councillors and city management are finding out that they will not be allowed to run rough shod over people. So it looks like construction is stalled or maybe even cancelled depending on the soil and water test results. Before having their ducks in order they buy the Second Last Call bar and spend almost another million dollars on renovating it, only to tear it down in a couple of years. Had they gone with the Woolworth building the renovation costs would have been no more than $16,000,000. The library could have stayed where it is while renovation took place. The Farmer's market could have stayed where it was and the parking spaces would have been left. The historic building could have been renovated and put to good use drawing even more people downtown and the Market could have easily been allowed to use thousands of square feet inside the same historical building. But Orillia is doomed to lose because those in power are members of the Steven Harper School of scamming the public. They lie and use every political trick to get their way. Too bad.
Today the DOMB announces they are not going to be ignored in regards to the lose of parking at the library. They have appealed to the OMB to overturn council's decision on exempting the library of their own parking bylaw. Another $150,000 waste of public money defending their ill thought out decision. I am happy to report that the DOMB now realize how little anyone's opinion is worth to these people. Lying Lauer who sits on the parking advisory committee betrayed downtown merchants and businesses as it was he who brought forward the motion to allow the destruction of parking spaces. Let's face it folks this guy can not be trusted. He speaks out of both sides of his mouth and all of it bull crap. Lauer betrayed the very people he is supposed to be one of. Here is his betrayal.
"After making a deputation to the parking advisory committee, the DOMB was advised to do the same at a council meeting. That deputation was scheduled for Feb. 1".
"Then, council adopted the recommendation to exempt the library -- a recommendation by Coun. Tim Lauer, a member of the parking advisory committee -- last week". Who in their right mind could ever trust this guy????? Then he goes on to say.
"Mr. Bowen and I have different views on how you solve problems. The resolution we put through at the last council meeting, to me, is not the end of the discussion." Lying is the cause of the problem that he claims needs solving. Wouldn't it be simpler not to cause the problem in the first place???? I wonder if Lying actually spoke those words with a straight face???? Then he goes on to say "There are other solutions". So if there are other solutions then why introduce and support an exemption now???? Why not just bring forward the "Other Solutions"motion??? Lies, after lies after lies. That's why I named him Lying Lauer. Please come back as there is still much more Catching Up coming.
jim tolnai
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Jan. 24, 2010
Pictures From London England Canadians Against Prorouging Rally
Orillian Arlene Decker organized a very successful rally attended by 20 Canadian living in London. Check out the pictures. Wonderful job Arlene.
jim tolnai
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Jan. 22, 2010
Political Bounty Hunters Take Note
Jan. 19, 2010
Chief Sharon Henry Learned Well From Doug Lewis
Sharon Harper, oh pardon, Chief Sharon Henry, who claims the issues of chief and council's outragous salaries and perks are an internal matter. This is doublespeak or political jargon, meaning it is for her inner circle and council. The issues of the golden handshake (ie. severence, $1,000 clothing allowance, $500 monthly gas allowance). These three issues should be changed with a band council resolution before the next election in August.
Our current chief says she is accountable to her community, which should be Orillia, because she lives in Orillia on Bay Street. On the other hand, I live in Rama and it is my community, not just a place to make big money and leave to pursue a conservative political agenda. This current chief uses the word accountability rather loosely. In other words, they seem to have difficulty with transparency, openness, fairness, and community input.
When this term of office is ended, Sharon will have made in excess of $1,250,000 in her 10-year term. Some of the councillors have made over $1,000,000 while in office. They will also get an enormous severence package if not re-elected knowing that they cannot collect EI. They should have put money away for a rainy day, instead of gouging band finances.
Chief and council should at least take a 40% pay reduction to come closer in line with other chief and councils in Ontario and Canada. As long as the high salaries are being paid, one question will remain with our community members: Are chief and council doing the job for the money? Or from their hearts?
Arnold Snache
Group for Accountability and Fairness
When Sharon Henry ran for Chief I personally shook my head. Her offer of $10,000 for every man, woman and child in Rama to get their votes has now come home to roost. A product of the Doug Lewis School of always taking more and more from the public, Sharon can't help herself. She cares as much for her people as Doug Lewis cares for a Liberal. Yes she has learned her sums from the white man and now is many times more blatant in her greed than even her teacher. But that is only because she can keep descent under wraps from the broader community. But that seems to be changing. It seems there are people in her community who will no longer sit silent watching their children's and grand children's heritage being hoarded by a few. There are people who have gone past the point of FEAR and are finally Speaking Out.
If I were a Native one of my first questions would be "How much money has been paid out to Mr. Doug Lewis and his law firm by the Band since Ms. Henry took the helm"????? Answer that question and one will know who influences Rama politics. Certainly not the members of the Rama Band. Last weeks letter by Arnold and his group was the begining of people finally saying "Enough is Enough". This weeks letter confirms that the group is here to stay. If the letter last week was even close to being accurate Rama has a $10,000,000 shortfall of income to outlay. $28,000,000 In $38,000,000 Out. Orillia with a population 40 times larger than Rama has a budget of under $38,000,000 which also sees millions wasted. How can anyone really believe that the people of Rama can continue with this current Administration???? Unless the gorging/gouging is stopped or at least slowed down, before long Rama will be a failed community. Once the sharing of Casino proceeds among all Ontario bands is settled Rama will be left with a few millionaires and a mostly welfare population. While Natives are drinking sewage water living in the North their minority Southern cousins are living the excess life. It wasn't supposed to be this way. The Casino was supposed to be for the benefit of all natives not just a few. Blame the Mike Harris/Doug Lewis Conservatives for what has happened whose finger prints are all over this mess.
Go for it Arnold your a good man. Go for it Cheryl your a good woman. I just hope your community will soon realize that once the Goose stops laying those Golden Eggs you two and your group will still be there, while Sharon will again drop her Nativeness and once more find the white within her.
So to answer the question "Are chief and council doing the job for the money?" The answer would be Ah!! Yea!!!
Canadian federal election, 1997
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Paul Devillers 22,775 44.4% +3.9%
Reform Peter Stock 14,363 28.0% -2.8%
Progressive Conservative Sharon Henry 10,849 21.1% -2.0% "No Stinson way back then" But Rama was also poor back then.
New Democrat Ann Billings 2,488 4.8% +1.4%
Green Adam Mazzara 388 0.8%
Natural Law Peter Cameron 230 0.4% -0.1%
Canadian Action Gloria Earl 213 0.4% Total valid votes 51,306 100.0%
jim tolnai
Jan. 18, 2010
I was pleased to see Colin McKim's spelling out that 2/3's of the construction activity brings in no revenue to the city. As the Twin Pad pays no licensing/development charges but instead consumes them it is revenue negative. The University pays no taxes to the city it too is revenue negative. Not only that but taxpayers also pickup 30% of the capital cost of the univesity build as well. Now it seems 2010 will be another year where construction will be revenue negative as well. With the new OPP station and the library which are both going to add even more costs onto the back of taxpayers. Add to the the $1,500,000 tax holiday for the apartment building on Barrie road, local taxpayers are picking up even more burden.
Taxpayers mustn't forget that along with all these revenue negative projects comes increased operating costs as well. This whole game is nothing but a mugs game. While we may see some increase in employment due to these projects most jobs will be filled and brought in by the company's getting the tenders, while taxpayers just keep paying. And this is what is called progress in Orillia????? Boggles the mind. How long can Orillia keep spending money we don't have while adding to our operating costs??? A recipe for fiscal disaster by anyone's reckoning.
jim tolnai
Jan. 15, 2010
Ex-pat Orillian Organizing Proroguation Protest in London England
Arlene Decker formerly from Orillia is now living in London England. She has started a group over there to show the displeasure she and other Canadians have with Harper and the Redneck Party. Arlene went to OD and played the female lead to my son Todd's lead in Grease. She attended Couchiching Heights as well. It gives me great pride to see her and other young people taking on their responsibility for how we are governed. Keep up the good work Arlene and everyone else. It's nice to see that there are people who the mantle can be handed off to. Follow the link to Arlene's FB Group.
Let others know about Arlene's effort and get involved locally yourselves. It is all our responsibility to make sure that our freedoms are not tampered with. And send a big thank you to Arlene and the group over there for standing up for our Freedom and Rights.
jim tolnai
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Jan. 14, 2010
Latest prorogation is an insult to our democracy
By ERICH JACOBY-HAWKINS
A smart man once said: "When a government starts trying to cancel dissent or avoid dissent is frankly when it's rapidly losing its moral authority to govern."
By proroguing Parliament, the Harper government continues to show contempt for our democratic process. It continues a pattern of avoiding the valid criticisms of question period or awkward demands of investigative committees.
A number of serious issues face Canadians, including our role in preventing or enabling torture in Afghanistan, an economy entering a long, tough, jobless "recovery", and travel security which clearly isn't up to the threat of terrorism. Issues such as these must be handled by our elected officials. Yet those officials have all been sent home, essentially on paid vacation, in one of the longer prorogations in Canadian history.
Conservative mouthpieces like Monte Solberg, or Patrick Brown, would have you believe that this is normal, and an MP's role in Ottawa is only a minor, almost inconsequential aspect of his job. Far more important, they tell us, is the work done in the riding. I would beg to differ.
There is little value in MPs showing up to hand out oversized cheques for photo-ops. New facilities and businesses will open regardless of who cuts their ribbons. Such ceremonial actions are mainly of value to the incumbent, as a way to indicate that he's engaged with the community, so you'll re-elect him.
A century ago, prorogation gave MPs a chance to catch up on local issues. But today, MPs have plenty of opportunity to keep up to date with the needs of their voters.
As a "perk", they receive 64 free round-trip flights from Ottawa per year, and unlimited VIA travel. Our own MP has no trouble spending the week in Ottawa and getting back to Barrie Friday night. And that's just when Parliament is sitting. There are already many months of the year,
Christmas/New Year's and all summer, when MPs are on recess. More than enough time for them to keep up with what's happening at home.
But the core of representative democracy isn't electing someone to represent government to us, big scissors and giant cheques in hand. It's about representing us to government. We choose our representatives to oversee the legislative process and manage the government on our behalf. Without them, government becomes unmanaged bureaucracy or dictatorship. Our MPs can't oversee government if they are locked out for months at a time.
The pretext for this shutdown is to allow for "recalibration" on the economy and a break during the Olympics. Again, I don't recall electing our MPs to watch Olympics from VIP seats, and I am stunned that our government can't handle the economy while Parliament sits. They can't walk and chew gum at the same time either?
A government generally prorogues having passed most of its agenda. This government hasn't gotten through even half of it, with most of their much-vaunted crime bills still outstanding. (Just last week our MPs crowed about the government's great dedication to fighting crime -- as Harper trash-canned over a dozen crime bills.)
Jan. 09, 2010
Very Little Interest in Simcoe North Rally
Here is my letter to those people who have expressed an interest in pulling together a Jan. 23 Rally Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament.
There doesn't seem to be a groundswell of support for a Rally here in Simcoe North and time is of the essence so I have decided to pull out of trying to put a Rally together. As one person said "Simcoe North is about as blue as an Ontario riding gets!" I have decided to not bother with banging my head against the Tory Wall. Lot more important things to work on that will benefit people. The following is a letter from the Barrie group.
Hope everyone will support Barrie. I myself will attend their Rally most likely with a paper bag over my head in shame. lol. There is a reason why Barrie is the rich relative and Simcoe North is the poor cousin by marriage. I hope everyone will support the Barrie effort and help with whatever way to make it a success that all of Simcoe County will be made proud to the rest of Canada.
Jim
Hi Jim,
We've been having overwhelming success here in Barrie and have changed our name to Simcoe County (@) Barrie.
I want to be frank; the tone of your message to your group wasn't very positive and motivating people requires a positive attitude.
What I would like to suggest to you as the best course of action at this point is to jump on our bandwagon. I want your NDP Candidate, as ours is MIA, and as she is the only choice, if she agrees then we will have representation of all of Simcoe County here (Barrie, Simcoe North, Simcoe Grey) to speak - as people willing to create change.
If you would like to use your energy toward the effort, perhaps you could organize carpools and make sure people can get down here. Instead of splitting up Simcoe County, we'll converge and bring together a rally that will knock their socks off. We have already invited the media, and I had an interview on A-Channel today that will air at 6pm and 11pm.
You are more than welcome to participate in our effort on behalf of Orillia and make sure you get the attention to your own area. We don't want to leave anyone out. We are having a meeting tomorrow (Monday) at 7pm at Williams Coffee Pub on Bryne Drive - off Mapleview. If you'd like to attend and need directions or information, please don't hesitate.
Let me know what you think.
Terri Elvald
C.A.P.P. Simcoe County/Barrie Coordinator
--------------------
To reply to this message, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?inbox%2Freadmessage.php&t=1202129735130&mid=1b456b6G49fcf8d4Gb5437eG0
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Jan. 08, 2010
Renewing your contract in the next election
Here is a letter you might want to use in letting Bruce Stanton know your feelings. Please use all or any part or simply write your own. But please do contact Bruce so that he will not be able to say that Canadians don't care like Harper has.
Hello Bruce,
I don’t believe we’ve met but I am one of the people who hired you in the last election.
It has recently come to my attention that a man by the name of Stephen Harper has been urging you and all your fellow employees to not show up for work on January 25th.
I don’t know who this guy thinks he is. Apparently, he was hired by 17,296 delegates of something called “the Conservative Party” (which does not sound like a fun party at all). At any rate, you and your fellow employees do not answer to him. You answer to your employers, collectively known as Canada.
I can assure you, Bruce, that when I hired you, it was *NOT* to not show up for work.
In fact, you were hired for the explicit purpose of not only showing up for work but also, upon showing up, actually doing the work that came with the job. In short, you were hired because you were the most qualified candidate for this job.
This Harper guy has said that you and all your fellow employees shall return to work on March 3rd. Again, I don’t know who he thinks he is, but January 25th is the date that was previously agreed upon for you and your fellow employees to return to work.
I strongly urge you to ignore this Harper guy’s requests to not show up for work on January 25th. I strongly urge you to do the job for which you were hired – honourably representing the collective will of your fellow citizens.
For while showing up for work on January 25th might now seem like it will be a lonely affair, I can guarantee you that not showing up for work on January 25th will be much lonelier in the long run. The wrong choice on January 25th will become a permanent part of your work record.
I’m sure you’re aware that the next time Canada is hiring, your work record will be one of the items taken into consideration. If you did not do the job for which you were hired, saddened as it might make me, I simply would not be able to renew your contract.
Thank you for your time, Bruce. Please take the next 17 days to rest up so you can start 2010 fresh and focused.
Yours truly,
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Jan. 06, 2010
Germany had been selected to host the 1936 Olympics in 1931, when it had a democratic government known as the Weimar (VY-mahr) Republic, installed after Germany's defeat in World War I.
But Hitler, the charismatic and anti-Semitic leader of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party, would soon turn Germany into a police state. A persuasive speaker who believed in the genetic superiority of blond-haired, blue-eyed "Aryans," Hitler built his political movement from the ground up, starting in the 1920s. He promised a return to the powerful, militaristic Germany of the past, and blamed many of Germany's current ills, especially its ailing economy, on Jews.http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BUE/is_14_138/ai_n17212968/
Germany 1933-36
On May 13, 1931, the International Olympic Committee, headed by Count Henri Baillet-Latour of Belgium, awarded the 1936 Summer Olympics to Berlin. The choice signaled Germany's return to the world community after defeat in World War I.
Two years later, Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany and quickly turned the nation's fragile democracy into a one-party dictatorship. Police rounded up thousands of political opponents, detaining them without trial in concentration camps. The Nazi regime also put into practice racial policies that aimed to “purify” and strengthen the Germanic “Aryan” population. A relentless campaign began to exclude Germany’’s one-half million Jews from all aspects of German life.
Last year when Harper clung to power many of us voiced our concern that this man had the makings of a Dictator. Here we are a year later with our only Federal Institution that is democratically elected shutdown at the whim of one man who Canadians couldn't directly vote for as PM. With no Parliament Harper and his Conservatives can rule by decree. Not unlike the power Hitler sought and got. For all you nay sayers I have news for you. The German people reacted the same way. Remember folks History always repeats itself. Only the names and faces change. Checkout the Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=260348091419#/group.php?gid=260348091419 and read the concerns of an ever growing number of Canadians just like you and I. Last year many of them supported Harper when he shutdown Parliament. Today, just a year later they are afraid of Harper's agenda. Not unlike 1930's Germany.
Remember folks, when Bruce Stanton opens his mouth he is only parroting what Harper told him to say along with all the other Harper Toadies. Contact Bruce and tell him to get back to Ottawa and man the barricades to protect Parliament from Harper and his inner circle. There is precedence from way back in the 1600's. It's amazing how Bruce who comes from a long line of Progressive Conservatives has sold his soul to the Redneck Devil. Is the $130,000 per year really worth your honour and soul Bruce???? You are selling out way too cheap Bruce. But you along with all of history's Toadies to men like Hitler and other despots seem comfortable having no brain or courage. Bruce, yesterday afternoon at 3:pm the facebook group numbered 41,000. As I write this 3 p.m. today it numbers 67,560. People are pissed Bruce and you along with Harper will not survive this Suname that Harper's play for dictatorship has unleashed. The New Conservative Party will end up on the garbage heap of history where Mulroney put the Progressive Party. Maybe from the ashes some good will come but you who have sold your souls will never be allowed to take part as no one will ever trust you again after this is all over. In other words Bruce you are political toast. Burnt not singed. Hope you can sleep at night. Zieg Heil
Last year Harper shutdown Parliament for 60 days. This year he has shut it down for 90 days. Anyone else worried????
This is what I wrote back last Dec. 06, 2009
Dec. 06, 2008
Canada Banana Republic North
This Friday Stephen Harper led a bloodless coup and created the first Dictatorship in North America. While three of our soldiers were dying in Afghanistan trying to bring democracy to a totalitarian state, Stephen Harper was padlocking our Parliament's doors. Today we are Ruled by 38 men and women who were not elected to the job. They were elected but only to sit in Parliament representing their constituents. Instead they have padlocked even themselves from the House so they can not do the job they were elected to do along with all the 308 Members of Parliament.
Harper was appointed leader of the Conservatives who, chose him as leader of the party. He then was asked to form the government by the GG because the Conservative Party won the most seats of any of the other parties but not a majority. Because he was the leader of the Conservative Party he became PM automatically. Most people don't know but a Prime Minister does not even have to be elected as long as his party holds the most seats. What he can't do though is sit in the House and vote. But he has all other powers of a Prime Minister.
Qualifications and Selection of Prime Ministers
The Prime Minister may be any Canadian citizen of voting age (18 years). It is customary for the prime minister to also be a sitting member of the House of Commons and able to speak French and English, although two Prime Ministers have governed from the Senate, Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott & Sir Mackenzie Bowell. If the prime minister should fail to win his or her seat, a junior MP in a safe seat would typically resign to permit a by-election to elect that leader to a seat. However, if the leader of the governing party is changed shortly before an election is due and the new leader is not a Member of Parliament, he or she will normally await the general election before running for a seat. For example, John Turner was briefly Prime Minister in 1984 without being a member of the House of Commons; he would ironically win his seat in the general election that swept him from power. The official residence of the Prime Minister is 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa, Ontario. All Prime Ministers have lived there since Louis St. Laurent in 1951.
Then Harper appointed the cabinet who now rules by decree instead by parliamentary vote of the whole house. That my friends is a Dictatorship. It is Taxation without Representation as we have no representation in the House which is padlocked. Bruce Stanton along with all 308 elected representatives of the people are locked out and can not represent us in the very place they hold any power. There was no vote taken by Parliament to shut it down so that, in itself is undemocratic. Harper on his own made the decision. Sure he visited and had tea with the GG but it was private and behind closed doors. We are not allowed to know whether Harper got his shutdown by lying to the GG or actually told the truth. Smacks of Dictatorship to me, and every Canadian must Speak Out. A man who a majority of Parliamentarians don't trust has now taken total control of this country. Who will speak for us??? Who could vote no confidence, which is the only way to legally get rid of him. Who is to say he and his cabinet couldn't bring in legislation by Order of Council and appoint themselves ruler for life on the pretext of some emergency??? Canada, for the next 60 days has no Parliament and no Loyal Opposition to protect our rights against this man who would be Dictator. Man, are we ever one stupid bunch
Today there were a bunch of Conservative Goons demonstrating. Even they don't realize that they, live in the same Dictatorship as we all do. Even the Conservative MP's don't realize that they have been had. They are neutered like all members of Parliament. Dec. 4, 2008 was the end of Democracy in Canada. Let's hope we will be able to get it back?????? For sure this country has changed forever and peace in our time will be very difficult to reach from now on.
jim tolnai
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Jan. 05, 2010
Harper Shuts Down Democracy Once More
Somehow I knew last year that if Harper got away with Proroguing he would be trying it again. There might have been an excuse instead of a reason last year but there is none this. Harper and his flock or flunky's are dangerous to democracy and everything we as Canadians stand for.
Here is a letter you maybe interested in sending to our Sycophant MP Bruce Stanton. Let him know he will not have any work in this riding after the next election unless he goes to work in Ottawa on January 25. Or, draft your own letter but please Speak Out. While our troops are dying for Afghanistan Democracy??? Our only democratically elected Federal Institution (Parliament) is shut down by an Unelected Prime Minister with the blessing of an Unelected Governor General two years in a row.
jim tolnai
Mr. Bruce Stanton
Dear Bruce
I understand that the prime minister is once again considering proroguing parliament to avoid certain issues and responsibilities.
I am writing this evening to ask you to show up to work on January 25th, when parliament should be resuming. I strongly believe that elected representatives, yourself included, are elected and accept very generous salaries to work for and on behalf of the Canadian people, and I fail to see how you can do that if you don't go to work.
Mr. Harper fails to see that everyone, including himself, has to go to work. If we all decided to simply stay home whenever we didn't like our jobs, or when we had done our work badly, or when we were expected to work overtime or to push the envelope of our capabilities, the country would be in dire straits in record time.
The alternative, of course, is to give notice and quit. That, too, would be preferable to staying home.
Please do go to work on January 25th. Canadian voters supported you with the expectation that you would go to work and do your job to the best of your ability. To do anything less would break the unwritten promise you made to Canadians when you accepted their support during the last election, and would make a mockery of Canada's democratic process.
Your Name Here
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Dec. 31, 2009
Happy New Year
Dec. 24, 2009
Merry Christmas To All
From the Tolnai Family
Dec. 22, 2009
I Smell a Rotten Deal for Taxpayers
Last weeks announcement of a $9,200,000 windfall for a developer who will be building what is referred to as Affordable housing some say is a good thing. But when one does the numbers on what taxpayers are getting for their money it smells real rotten. The owners of the Barrie Rd. property a former industrial site which has yet to be cleaned up have managed to score a gift of $9,200,000 from federal and provincial taxpayers. They also have scored up to another $1,540,000 from Orillia taxpayers over the next 10 years. But when you do the numbers it is one of the most blatant giveaways of taxpayers money I have ever seen or heard of. This my friends is of Pinocchio Scandal quality tax money waste.
The proposal is to build 77 apartment units that will be leased at 70% of current Orillia rents. This reduction amounts to a saving for the tenant of
$150.. mo. 1 Bedroom
$176 mo. 2 Bedroom
$182 mo. 3 Bedroom
For the $9,200,000 the landlord will keep the rent ratio for 20 years at which time who knows what will happen as these units while paid for by tax dollars remain privately owned. I suppose in 20 years the owner will receive another subsidy as poverty will not be eradicated and indeed might even be worse by then. Much is being said about how wonderful this gift to a single developer is for the poor but I disagree. One only has to do the numbers to see how the only people who lose are the needy and of course taxpayers. Once more the poor and taxpayers are carrying the burden for the greed of the rich.
So let's do some calculations. Forty of the 77 subsidized units will be dedicated to seniors, 25 for the disabled and 12 for individuals and families of limited means. The average reduction in rent for each apartment from market cost will be a mere $169.00 per month. If you take 20 years which equals 240 months and multiply that by 77 apartments times the $169.00 that equals a mere $3,123,120 cents in subsidized rents for the poor. But the cost to the taxpayer is $9,200,000. Three times more than what the poor receive in rent subsidy.
So how on earth can this be construed as a good deal for the poor, disabled or seniors ??? Not to mention for the taxpayer??? Sorry folks but this is a terrible deal. This represents a transfer of public money for nothing on a scale unseen in Orillia to date. For $9,200,000 we could have three times the units for the next 20 years by simply subsidizing market price rents for 231 units. Don't forget that the developers obligation for this rent ratio ends at the end of year 20 years. At which time he can put his hand out for more tax money or start renting at market price while dislodging the poor anyway. For anyone to call this a wonderful deal they obviously did not do their homework. But the subsidy doesn't end there for the landlord. You see, he will realize another windfall of $20,000 times 77 units which is another $1,540,000 in forgiven property tax which will be paid by Orillia taxpayers over the next 10 years. Simply put this deal does very little to address the need for affordable housing while reaping huge unwarranted profits for the developers and their friends????
So let's recap. $9,200,000 plus $1,540,000 equals $10,740,000 of taxpayers money poured into a privately owned development. A very poor use of public money. Once more folks we need a Forensic Audit of this deal. It is a poor excuse for public spending. But hey i guess Santa came early for this developer if this happens???? Wonder if it's too late to stop this outrage????
I did a bit of digging to find out what a project like this could be built for when I saw the $15,000,000 to $16,000,000 price tag. Here is a project that was built in Ottawa. I know it was back in 1995 but the cost per square foot is what is important.
|
|
Synopsis
The Conservation Co-op located in downtown Ottawa is an example of a “green” multi-unit building. But unlike many other buildings using energy efficient technology, the Conservation Co-op was constructed within the confines of strict social housing guidelines and budget, and did not use overly complex technology. The final cost of the Conservation Co-op was $645 per square metre ($60/square foot), and included such energy efficient features as: low wattage fixtures, exterior site lighting using photovoltaic lamps, building orientation for maximum solar gain in the winter, summer solar shading using sunscreens and fin-walls on balconies, double-glazed argon filled lowE windows, above normal wall and roof insulation levels, separated balconies to eliminate thermal bridging, use of heat recovery units for all suite ventilation, and, individually metred in-suite high (90%) efficiency gas heating units.
|
Please visit the web-site for this project and see what social housing is really all about.
Nothing that happens in Orillia ever makes any sense. If this mayor and city management have a hand in it, one can automatically assume there is something wrong with it and the numbers prove that indeed that is the fact. This is another project that simply stinks.
On top of all this evidence that this project is not in the best interest of the poor or taxpayers I have heard or seen nothing which shows that the site is being cleaned of any hazardous materials. You see folks when the first building was built by this developer, council allowed for the property to be divided. At that time all contaminated soil was pushed over to the eastern lot. For the first 3 years almost nothing could grow on this land and now they want to build on it??? Will this former industrial property be cleaned to a standard that allows residential???? Where is the MOE in this story???? Are they allowing this building to be built on a former industrial site without cleanup???? Don't believe me, but please believe what you find if you check out this project. Make yourself heard as someday one of you or many of you might end up living there. So why are the politicians doing this deal???? Can't they do the math??? Follow the money folks.
jim tolnai
One More Reason To Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Dec. 18, 2009
"I receive legal advice on a myriad of considerations"
Once more Stevens gets caught in his own web of deceit and corruption. Once more some people think he just might have gotten away with it again? But as next year begins the noose around Pinocchio's neck is tightening. The last 9 years is finally to catching up to him as more and more people see him for what he really is and the kind of company he keeps. His support now consists of only those whom he could incriminate in all the sleaze that will eventually sink him. But one day even those people will abandon him and set his boat adrift as supporters of Doug Little did denying ever having known him.
One can see his confidence dwindling as he finds himself having to explain his words and actions more and more. Because he doesn't know who knows what and when things will be made public, he is working to setup scenarios that might be useful in future court proceedings. You know, so he can twist the truth to try and justify the lies and corrupt things he is or has been involved with. He is forced by all the lies and coverups to tell people things like "Stevens told reporters he received legal advice before deciding to resign". Realizing that wasn't enough he adds "I receive legal advice on a myriad of considerations." A Myriad of considerations????? Boy for mere mortals like us that seems onerous doesn't it???? Why would an honest man who has only love in his heart for Orillia need to get legal advice on a Myriad of considerations???? Why would an honest man decide to resign who still insists and still " doesn't believe he crossed any lines" Resign after he "received legal advice before deciding to resign". An honest man who continues to say "I feel that it is unwarranted," yet he decides to resign instead of simply letting an investigation clear his name??????
"Stevens was not pressured by the board to resign and the board's acceptance of his resignation should not be construed as a finding of guilt, said MacNeil". So if there is no guilt or even findings then how come his resignation was tendered and why was it accepted???? Folks this is what is wrong with Mariposa and why nothing will ever change as long as people like these board members keep getting appointed. Either these people live in a drug induced hallucination or they are as big a liars and as dishonest as is Pinocchio???? If there is no guilt then why did the board and Stevens want an investigation stopped???? That's right folks, had Bonnie and Clyde been bankrobbers in Orillia and officially pledged to resign from robbing anymore banks the Orillia Police Services board might have ordered all investigations to cease as they no longer were bank robbers???? Naturally in and only in the public interest??? Well, that is what this board is claiming about Stevens isn't it??? "In a release issued on Monday afternoon, the police services board stated its members and the mayor "believe that this resolution is in the best interests of the community and policing in Orillia." Imagine that??? Who'd a thunk it, that it would be in the best interest of our community which is riddled with drug dealers, gangsters, prostitutes, guns and money laundering that a member of the police board who has connected himself and also happens to be the mayor should not be investigated for these self admitted connections?????? Imagine it being in the best interest of policing in Orillia to not investigate this admitted connection by the man himself and under oath in a sworn document to boot???? Anyone else scratching their heads trying to figure out how not connecting all the dots could be beneficial to the community????
Now just because Pinocchio decided to resign why should that compel the board to drop an investigation??? I read the regulation and nowhere in it does it say where an investigation is automatically stopped upon resignation?? In fact, nowhere does it say an investigation should be or could be stopped upon resignation??? So the decision by the board to end an investigation which according to them hadn't even begun seems odd doesn't it. But who would the board negotiate with to not even begin an investigation and why???? Was Pinocchio's lawyer present when the negotiations were going on???? If there was no guilt or fault found then there could not have been any investigation to shut down or anything to negotiate in the first place???? Yet this claim that Pinocchio's resignation was in the best interest of the community and policing then makes no sense????? By the way, who is paying for all this legal advice that Pinocchio speaks of??? Is it coming from the police budget????? Is it coming from city coffers???? Anyone want to make a bet ????? This decision could have only been a political one that actually has the best interest of Pinocchio and accomplices and the worst interest of the community along with the credibility of policing in Orillia and area at heart.
So let's recap. We have a mayor who in his past life had some real legal problems concerning tens of thousands of dollars having gone missing, who has proven himself to be a compulsive liar and is automatically appointed to oversee the police force by virtue of being mayor??? The same mayor who removes, or as I like to call it steals councillor's personally addressed mail, sits on the police board overseeing the police whose job is to arrest thieves???? We have a mayor and police board member who is notified by the police about their armed operations a half hour or more before they happen on property owned by the same mayor's "Very good friend" and yet the board is not curious enough to even start an investigation???? We have a board member who tries to talk the police out of carrying out their lawful court ordered duty as a member of the police board not to mention as the mayor, yet the board is not the least bit interested in investigating the matter and nor is city council???? We have a mayor/board member who under oath swears to what he did, but the board claims there is no guilt or fault so no investigation will take place??? How many mere mortals have been convicted on much less????? The same mayor and board member who the local constabulary didn't bother to investigate in a meaningfull manner on the land deal behind Wal Mart.
ISSUE10.pdf
ISSUE12.pdf
Yet this same board will not issue a taxi license to a 65 plus year old man, who as a 17 year old was convicted of assault (pushing a girl into the lake) and had never been in trouble before or in the following 48 years because they are concerned for the public's safety????? Yet the same board isn't interested in what their own member had done regarding tens of thousands of dollars, never mind what he has just done????? Ah!! Orillia don't you just love it???? Come on back folks as Orillia's latest multi-million dollar head scratcher has just been announced and as usual the numbers don't add up once again???? Yup!!! the noose around Pinocchio's neck is tightening. Just one more thought. Did Pinocchio as a board member cast a vote for accepting his own resignation??? After all he was still a board member until the vote took place wasn't he???? We know that he did cast a vote Monday night at council for his own replacement by Speers on the board, which by my reckoning is a conflict of interest. Did Pinocchio take part in the behind closed doors decision by council to appoint Speers and did he vote there as well????? Another clear conflict even though it was behind closed doors unless he reclused himself isn't it????? Police Services Board Code of Conduct
jim tolnai
One More Reason To Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Dec. 15, 2009
"There's zippity-do you can do."
Sorry folks but that is simply not true. Interfering with a police investigation and using one's public office in most jurisdictions (except Orillia) would be considered in the least a serious breach of the law, as well as a breach of public service trust and ethics. But in Orillias' Old Boys Network it is Zipitty Doed under the filthy carpet that is local politics. How can anyone have faith in law enforcement and their overseers when a blind eye is all they have for insider's transgressions.
We are not talking about a questionable land deal here. We are not talking about political lies and cover up. We are talking about the very basic tenet of a Democracy that we are supposed to live under equal rule of law for all without political interference. According to the board this very clear breach of the law, admitted to by the perpetrator in a written sworn statement, given to a court and sworn to be the truth and nothing but the truth simply does not even deserve a cursory investigation. We are talking about connections to drugs, guns and cash, for that is what was found in the raids. We are talking about police informing private citizens (non police) about their up coming operations against armed serious criminals a half hour or possibly more before it's execution.
Organized crime, drug dealing and violence is running rampant in and around Orillia with police claiming a lack of resources. One would think that police would have better things to do than for two or more officers taking the time to inform the mayor of a police operation? Why did they do it?? Why would they continue informing Stevens even when he identified the subject of their raid as being his very good friend??? Why did they continue to speak with him, passing information, even after Stevens interfered claiming his friends couldn't have anything to do with criminal activity??? Stevens is a seasoned politician who knows that what transpired was illegal. He knows that political interference is a no, no. He knows that as a Police Services Board member he had a superior and powerful position over the officers. Yet he continued speaking to the officers defending his friends? Did the same officers notify the other board members??? Did these officers notify anyone else????? Isn't this board even curious about these curious goings on??? Why are they not curious???
Bad enough that this happened, but for the board to cover it up and sweep it under that filthy carpet is simply reprehensible. What is also reprehensible is how council on Monday night swept this filth under the carpet as well. Not one word during the acceptance of Steven's resignation and the appointment of Bumboy Spears, who couldn't be a worse person to appoint for the citizens of Orillia to this board. Instead of appointing a man like Speers who accommodates questionable behaviour by Stevens and staff consistently we need Police Board members who will make sure that behaviour like Stevens will not be tolerated and a price is paid for transgressions like this. Instead it is business as usual. It sure is getting harder and harder to be able to tell the honest law abiding citizens from the crooks. This board which is obviously stacked can't even Reprimand this guy never mind getting to the bottom of this mess as the board actually praises him?????
"On the board since first being elected mayor in 2000, Stevens will be missed, said MacNeil.
"His knowledge and guidance in the past has been greatly appreciated by me and the rest of the board."
But hey folks "There's zippity-do you can do????????" In my mind each and every board member is as much responsible for discrediting the board and police services and the good people of Orillia as is Pinocchio. Does Orillia not have any worthy people to serve the public who actually have some spine and moral ethics????? Seems not.
Facing near-certain? Reprimand by the Orillia Police Services Board and a strong possibility of a Solicitor General Investigation????, Stevens resigned from the OPS Board on Dec. 14, 2009. His hand picked successor Paul Spears his very own backpocket boy, will fight any board members to cover over this mans' illegal actions and behaviour.
These very words were written about another despicable shallow man who also claimed he was not a crook, but history has proven over and over again that he indeed was the worst kind of crook.
"Facing near-certain impeachment in the House of Representatives and a strong possibility of a conviction in the Senate, Nixon resigned the office of the presidency on August 9, 1974.[6][7] His successor, Gerald Ford, would issue a pardon unto President Nixon."
Once more the inner circle decides to do nothing and turn their collective heads. Do they not dare hold him accountable because they themselves might become incriminated????? Is this non action taken to cover up for Pinocchio or for themselves???? We can not trust the politicians. We can not trust city management. We can not trust the police and we can now not trust the Police Services Board to do the right thing. Welcome to Little Chicago North. Can drive by shootings be far off?????
Here are some interesting links.
jim tolnai
One More Reason To Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Dec. 11, 2009
Bullsh*t Baffles Brains
On October 20 I wrote Let the Scam Games Begin/ Orillia Wins Fool's Gold . Lori Koughan and Andrew Fortini of Shore & Tilbe reported to council on the increase in costs for the Library Project. With the disclosure by Angelo Orsi and Pat Kehoe of their Peer Review Results I thought I would share scenes of that evenings shell game show.
For years I have been explaining to folks about how councillors allow themselves to be hoodwinked by Mayor Pinocchio and Management. In reviewing the tape of that night I decided to show everyone examples of why and how councillors are bum rushed into voting for these crazy projects. Truth is these guys don't really know what they are voting for. A really good example is Smirking Joe Fecht who admits just such a fact. The rubbish that is fed to council is beyond belief. Check out the video so that you can see how these hucksters work the suckers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQOs9GhyVNY
Next we have Ralph Cipolla questioning a 300% increase in the price of this project. You see like with the MURF council was baited and then the switch happened. In the begining this library was sold based on a $9,000,000 price tag. Once the rubes bought in, the escalation began. Just remember how the MURF started at under $20,000,000 and ended up at $75,000,000. As I said, the library is MURF 2 the Sequel. Watch the video and pay attention to how Lori Koughan tries to remove in people's mind $350,000 claiming it is not a cost because, that money came from a different source but still taxpayers money. She also injects the Bull Crap about a supposed reduction because of Value Engineering????? Remember what Fecht was asking about this Value Engineering and how he really couldn't understand it. Lori also then claims they are not asking for anymore money yet they are there reporting on the increase in the costs????? Watch the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE8rgeoPE1M
Ralph with his statement about the $9,000,000 panicked the darkside. The last thing they want is to bring up the begining which will show people how they operate. So, Paul Spears is signaled to act. Out he comes with the statement about how that was two years ago and much had been added to the project. You know the standard bullsh*t. People are realizing that what is proposed at a moderate cost quickly balloons into projects that make no sense. But Spears makes the mistake of calling on Brian Jewitt to explain this glaring increase. He realizes at the last minute that maybe Jewitt was the wrong Shill to call on and try's to change his request to Koughan, but their timing is off and Jewitt answers. Because they lost their place Jewitt forgets the script and then tells the truth. He tells us that the $9,000,000 was really never a realistic figure, Watch the video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiiQJuTo4zw
Ralph once again asks uncomfortable questions that the Shills would rather not answer. He makes a statement that staff was warned that there were water problems on this property. He wants to know why soil testing didn't happen before the contract for the design done??? Ralph has finally seen how ridicules this project is being handled. He states that any building he has been involved with, soil testing always preceded the design. Once again there is really no answer forth coming except Lori's ridicules statement that had the soil testing been waited for, then the project would have been delayed a couple of months. She claims that is the normal way projects proceed. Huh????? Come on how stupid do these people think we are???? As with the MURF where testing was the last thing they wanted to do because, they knew once done the truth would come out MURF 2 the Sequel is the same. Watch Ralph's question http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHFBct55b34 and then make sure you watch Lori's answer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pCnlc43Xjw
Fogarty then starts his questioning and wants answers. In Fortini's statements to Fechts' inquiry he made a mistake in his attempt to bullsh*t. Mike picked up on it and wanted to know how prices can be going down and up at the same time. Fortini was now stuck with spinning more fairytales. His answers to Mike made as much sense as Koughan's did about soil testing??? Watch the first of the next four videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms7pLk984QU
Mike's next inquiry was about why all costs for this project wasn't being shown as a total???? You see there is this method staff and their hired guns have of always confusing issues. Nothing is allowed to be simple and straight forward. Take the cost of $800,000 for renovating the Gill St. property or for that matter the cost of $1,200,000 to purchase the property. This $2,000,000 expenditure is separated in a separate budget so that people can be fooled into thinking the project is less money. It is all an illusion meant to deceive and cover up the truth. Mike wanted to know why this significant amount of expense wasn't being shown as a cost of this project. Lori Koughan injects the standard answer which blames council. She says council approved this money in a separate budget. True enough but it was staff who brought this stuff to council in different pieces so that councillors or the public wouldn't choke on the true cost. Anyway here is this exchange. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQic_sJHzMA .
In following up on Fontini's claim that prices are up, prices are down and how the budget could be up 5% or down 5% it is easy to see how councillors can become confused. Mike, and I am sure most other councillors heard the bullsh*t that Frontini was spreading and simply didn't understand it. Mike asks the question 5% of of what???? This question is a real good indication of how consultants and staff mix up answers to inquiries by councillors in order to all the better scam councillors and us. So look at the exchange in this next clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNe_Q-0Tx7I
Mike's next line of inquiry was about how money in lieu of parking was being handled. You see, in the real world if a developer develops there is a price to pay for parking spots. Either they provide so many spots per square foot or cash to the city which goes to or is supposed to go to develop public parking. So as a legitimate question to try and peg down the real total cost of this project Mike asked where is the money coming from in lieu of parking spots??? How is this significant expenditure being handled???? Folks this item alone is hundreds of thousands of dollars yet it is nowhere to be found in costing of this project. More flim flam to fool council and the public. Koughan simply said she doesn't know and could not give an answer. But she is the project manager. You see these amounts are even more significant because the project not only doesn't create new parking spaces but actually removes 70 existing . For staff to keep the illusion up, they simply claim they don't have an answer because another staff member is not here who might have the answer. It is an old trick of laying blame or excuse for not answering a embarrassing question. Watch the clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY7Lfi1NnpU
Fogarty's last inquiry was about the cost for burying the power lines. Even in this, staff and consultants have created an illusion about it's true cost to the city. They display $600,000 as being the cost while the truth is it is $800,000. What they do is cut from the real cost over $200,000 which OPC is paying for. That way they can show a lower than actual cost of this project. But Mike is on to them and Speaks Out. After all there is only one shareholder of OPC who would have received the money in dividends anyway had OPC not spent it on this project. Watch the clip which is a very good example of how the Browns, Koughans and their hired consultants mix up these costs like a dog's breakfast. Watch the clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X_8CsAQPK4
The best example of how Bullsh*t Baffles Brains is this next item. Maurice Macmillan asked what I think was the best and most direct question of the night. His question while way back in Oct. had the most relevance one to what was about to go wrong for these clowns last week. His question put staff and their so called experts on notice that, here is your chance to tell us what you know. Here is your chance to come clean, because if you don't bad things will happen. Maurice asked the question, Explain to me the Risks in dealing with the water problems on this site. Fortini goes into a long convoluted load of bullsh*t double talk in his effort to make the question go away. But in among the bullsh*t there was the truth and should have made Fortini and staff fess up to do their due diligence.
Fortini in his effort to bamboozle Maurice explained how the soil on this site is so bad that caissons have to be used in order to hold the building up. While the question was about risk of working on this site Frontini avoided answering it. He spouted gibberish in his attempt at confusing Maurice. To the credit of Maurice at the end he again clearly once again brings up "Risk". Unfortunately instead of insisting that Frontini answer his question Maurice was worn down and actually in a confused state said his question was answered which was anything but true. On reflection I hope Maurice will view his attempt and see once and for all how these people screw with councillors minds and scam the taxpayers. Watch the video but make sure you wear your rubber boots because Frontini in his effort to not answer this simple question and to cover up what he along with staff knew about the risk to the Opera House he spread it wide and deep. It was confusing enough and Maurice backed down. Too bad. Watch the clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT-1z5vOAGg
If one reviews tapes over the years from MURF council presentations these library presentations, information and how they are presented are a carbon copy. Here we have a project that starts out at $9,000,000 and today sits at $28,000,000 when all costs directly related are added. The MURF started out as a $20,000,000 project and it's budget sits at $75,000,000 and counting. Folks! until we get 5 councillors who are honest and work for the benefit of the city nothing will change. Until we have 5 councillors who stand up to Boss Hogg and Pinocchio, this city can never prosper. On Oct. 20 there was an attempt by Fogarty, Cipolla and Macmillan but in the end the effort did not continue. When Oris' and Kehoe's information came out one of these three should have called a Special Council meeting and removed Pinocchio from the chair. They then should have suspended Koughan and Brown and appointed an outside person to take over the project. First order of business for this person should have been to begin a Forensic Audit of the budget. Find out all the seedy details and for the first time in 9 years get a true and honest picture of any project that Pinocchio and management have been involved with. Then make a complete and honest report to the people. It's time to cut off the two headed snakes' heads. It's time to have a Forensic Audit followed by a Law enforcement investigation in conjunction with a Judicial Inquiry. Enough is enough and we won't take it anymore. Hope this item will turn on some lights in people's minds. Remember folks "accidents happen in Orillia but nothing ever happens by accident". These scams are well thought out years in advance by those who stand to personally profit.
jim tolnai
One More Reason To Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Dec. 08, 2009
As Predicted Library is MURF 2 the Sequel
When people are dismissed as irrelevant they get their backs up. When people are told they are nothing more than wannabe's, trouble makers, rabble rousers and obstructionists they get their backs up. When people are lied to and are told they simply don't understand and just don't know, they get their backs up. When perfectly good ideas and critique is dismissed and pushed aside by nonsense excuses, people get their backs up. Now all that is from the Book of Murf. Rather than having learned from their experience with committed citizens, mayor, city management and councillors once again couldn't imagine there being any smart enough people who could stop their quest for ????
But like with the MURF this project MURF 2 the Sequel was born of a lie and had as it's main proponent not a realistic need but a manufactured one. The same as the MURF. While as with the MURF there were few or any who were actually against it, the problems were the process and the insistence of where it was to go, come hell or high concentrations of toxic chemicals. The library had support as well, but process and location along with cost was a problem. But when Lies and Cover ups became the order of day as it was with MURF people got their backs up. Thank goodness that people did get their backs up, and decided to act. Otherwise the damage and possible disaster to the Opera House would not have been prevented.
Once again it turns out that councillors were not informed and were actually misinformed in every decision they have made. Now not all councillors were misinformed just the key ones who Boss Hogg and Mayor Pinocchio haven't been able to consistently control. It is now time for those councillors who have been deceived to stand up once and for all and fight back. Mike Fogarty has been making an effort lately and needs support. Ralph Cipolla has actually been making some noises that one could interpret as starting to wake up. But unfortunately the insiders who reside in the back pocket of Boss Hogg, Mayor Pinocchio and senior management like to play politics while projects burn.
Who are these people??? Well Smirking Joe Fecht whom I am sure has been told by the boys he can count on being the next mayor. Watching this guy, it is easy to see how he's always given to siding with the darkside. One has to watch council meetings more than once in order to see the slight of hand or lip that goes on. Fecht is by far the best at it. He is very good at bringing forward issues that differ knowing full well they don't have a prayer succeeding and don't make sense anyway. Watch his performance on the library over the last year and you will see how sneaky this guy can be and is. Yup! mayor material if I ever saw one. Problem is we would be trading in our dearly loved Pinocchio simply; for another only worse??? I will bet a dollar to a donut that Smirking is very high on the list of the Doug Lewis/Doug Downey Election Team. Paul Spears is another who is close to the asses he kiss being in that hip pocket. Once again listen and watch this guy. He never has an idea about anything unless it is to pay more compensation to city management. He never questions reports that are blatantly wrong and will support Boss Hogg literally every time. His favourite saying is we have professionals we need to trust. Even when those professional have been caught in lie after lie and cover up after cover up.
Lying Lauer is the next one. Now he is actually better at fooling some people but is the most obvious once you know what to look for. Lying votes on most controversial matters twice. Once for the camera and viewers and the next ????? who knows? Again watch him and you will see he puts his hand up cautiously while keeping an eye on the chair. I f the chair goes to look he will drop his hand. Then while others are voting and the chairs attention is turned from him he will again move his hand up ever so slightly so that he can claim either pro or con. I named this type of voting the Lauer unenthusiastic heil. Seriously watch him. It is comical and it is easy to spot once you know what you are looking for. He is also very good at saying he was against something using double talk but ending up voting for it anyway. Here are two examples from his own web-site over the last few weeks.
Nov. 30 meeting
Councillor Fogarty raised a concern about a letter sent by the Mayor, to the Attorney General referring to a situation currently in the courts. The letter was sent on City of Orillia Housing Committee letterhead and did not in fact represent the views of the Housing Committee. It was decided that the Mayor would write a letter making that fact known and that the opinions expressed were his personally and did not reflect the opinion of the Housing Committee or the City of Orillia. I supported this action and as a member of the Housing Committee, I view the committee's failure to make that recommendation at the time as an oversight. Then he goes on to question his own support
(For What It?s Worth- I am not convinced that this item can be classified as a point of order and think it should have probably appeared under enquiries. The option that a Councillor has to challenge a point of order I believe should be contained to the meeting at hand and is a procedural tool to ensure the smooth and legitimate running of a meeting. Although the ensuing discussion resulted in an action it did not alter the order of the meeting.) This man is pretty good at flapping his gums and really saying nothing.
Nov. 09, 2009
Council received a deputation from developer Al Langman who is considering a Hotel/ Conference Centre/ Condominium development at the corner of Laclie St. and Tecumseth St. To allow this proposal to go forward, the proponent through his representation, asked Council to include a portion of parkland in the Downtown Intensification area of the new Official Plan due to be approved in December of this year. I supported a motion put forward to make the change after indications from staff suggested that we as a City would not be compromising our ability to protect the identified parkland. Mr. Langman is a local developer with several successful developments in the City and I feel Council is right to allow the proposal to come forward. (For What It's Worth- earlier in the Official Plan process I had tried to have the entire section from Neywash to Tecumseth east of Laclie removed from the Downtown Intensification district. I lost that argument and expected to hear from concerned residents in the area. Having heard none at the time, it may be fortunate that this project has come forward at this time and in this way, given that it has alerted residents in the area of the potential for some pretty significant development. With this announcement we are starting to get that feedback) Looks to me like he's against and then he is for it then he is against and finally he is happy that people will come out against it????? If any of you are interested go to this guys web-site and read this stuff. It is priceless as an insight into how compulsive liars and sneaks behave. http://www.timlauer.ca/ctw.htm
Lying writes: This site has been created to provide the rationale behind the decisions and actions I support at Orillia's Municipal Council Meetings.
In reading what Lying writes and watching each of his performances several times at council, the only rationale to his words and behaviour is to mislead. One needs to tape this guy as it was necessary to tape Pinocchio in order for people to catch him miscounting votes.
Blaming the Messenger:
As with the MURF guns are trained on (Kehoe and Orsi) the messengers because the message shows their incompetence. Here is my insight.
Lori Koughan:
Koughan said it's "unfortunate" that Kehoe and Orsi didn't share the Inspec-Sol Inc. report earlier. City officials saw it for the first time on Friday afternoon, she noted.
Andrew Frontini: Expert????
At the end of the day, Frontini is confident his design will be workable without modifications. But he wishes the peer review had not come forward so late in the game.
Julie Langpeter: Packet Apologist
"It's unfortunate this information is coming so late in the game, but it is good that council is taking the time to consider the implications of this peer-review".
Ron Stevens:
"Despite the fact this last-minute objection may delay the project, Stevens said he has respect for Kehoe and Orsi and doesn't see their action as frivolous".
Get ready for more of the same as this theme will be running rampant. Instead of answering the basic question of why was this report not done by the citie's experts and staff right in the begining they are trying to insinuate that Orsi and Kehoe are some how at fault for the delay by not doing their study earlier???? Unfrigging believable.
But Pat and Angelo as with those of us who fought to get reports, documents and information on the MURF were stonewalled, so have they. People like Brown, Koughan, Jewitt, Stevens and even the paid experts delayed and even outright refused information. Why even today there are reports that Patrick still hasn't received reports we are all entitled to. Yet these people try to blame him and Angelo.
"We chose to do due diligence."
"Kehoe said he and Orsi wanted to review tender documents and had requested a series of library project reports, the latter of which Kehoe said he hasn't seen. Also, Kehoe said they'd asked for a structural assessment of the Opera House, which they haven't received either".
Thanks to Pat , Angelo and I am sure others who helped avert another disaster by City management, mayor and those councillors who reside in the back pockets has been averted. It is also noteworthy that Councillor Evans wanted to vote to continue with awarding the tender because he is sure everything will be fine.
It is time that councillors begin an inquiry of their own, not only about this mess but all the messes created by Ron Stevens, Ian Brown, Lori Koughan and all senior management and their so called experts. It is time that these councillors remove Stevens from the chair as Ramara Township Mayor Bill Duffy was removed. It is time that a full Forensic Audit was begun to get to the bottom of the $10,000,000's of millions wasted by Mayor and city management??? and find out where it has gone??? It is time to ask for a Judicial Inquiry. It is time for councillors to finally do their Due Diligence.
If they are defeated in this quest by the backpocket boys then, as many as there are of them who truly want to put an end to the madness, must request for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and or the Attorney General to take responsibility.
jim tolnai
One More Reason To Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Dec. 06, 2009
All Concerned Citizens Need to Speak Out
The following is long but needs to be read by everyone. If you don't understand the technical stuff then ask for an explanation. If Pinocchio and his supporters go ahead with what I called MURF 2 earlier in the year then only those who don't Speak Out will have to bear responsibility along with the mayor and those councillors who voted to proceed. So make sure you read the following submitted by Dick Sleep and add your voice, not only here but to the Packet, Orillia Today and to every person you meet. Write, e-mail and phone. Don't let these people divide the community like they did with the ExMURF. They are wrong and bull headed with MURF 2 as they were with the ExMURF. They were wrong on it and they are wrong on this. So Please Speak Out and let's speak with one voice. Enough is Enough and we won't take it anymore.
jim tolnai
December 6, 2009
Kelly Smith
Chief Building Official, Building Code & Permits
City of Orillia
50 Andrew Street South, Suite 300
Orillia, Ontario
L3V 7T5
Kelly,
On Monday December 7th 2009, the City of Orillia Council Committee will meet to consider the tender submissions for the Library/Market Square Development and potentially make a recommendation for ratification by Council on December 14th 2009.
The Library Building is to be constructed on the Market Square property adjacent, and in very close proximity to the Orillia Opera House, a historic building designated as a Heritage site on September 27th 1978 under the Ontario Heritage Act.
It is with great concern and relevance that a permit to construct or demolish any existing buildings be withheld pending receipt of information required to properly assess the potentially catastrophic impact this development may have on the adjacent Heritage building (The Opera House)
Following a thorough examination, including a peer review of the City of Orillia soils engineering report for this project, it was noted that this report does not address the potential impact construction and demolition activities may have on adjacent buildings and infrastructure. Please find following a summation of the evidence received:
Soils Engineers Ltd. (Attached)
Report for the City of Orillia (June 2009)
Purpose: Soil Investigation to “determine the engineering properties of the disclosed soils for the design and construction of the proposed project.
Key Points
Sand Fill - ...”amorphous in structure and it's in loose condition indicating it will be prone to collapse in steep excavations, particularly during wet conditions.”
Silty Clay Till - ...”susceptible to impact disturbance”
Sandy Silt - “...highly water erodible...wet sandy silt is susceptible to impact disturbance....stable in damp to moist conditions but will slough if it is in a dry or wet condition”
Fine Sand - “Susceptible to migration through small openings under seepage pressure”
“...the yield (water) from the silt and sands will be moderate to appreciable and will be persistent.. recommend that the ground be pre-drained, either by pumping from closely spaced sump wells or if necessary, by the use of a well point dewatering system”
“....perimeter sub drains and damproofing of the perimeter basement walls will be required in order to provide a dry basement”
Report to Council Committee (September 28th 2009)
Library/Market Square Project Class “A” Costing
“The geotechnical analysis that was carried out by Soil Engineers Inc. found that the soils beneath the proposed library will require the use of specialized foundations (caissons) in order to provide the level of support required”.
Additionally, a second “peer review” report was commissioned by Mr. Angelo Orsi that substantiated our concerns:
Inspec-Sol Inc (Attached)
Review Geotechnical Report and Provide Engineering Opinion (November 19, 2009)
Purpose: Assess the potential for impact of the library development on the adjacent historical building known as the Orillia Opera House.
Key Points.
The (Soils Engineers Ltd.) report does not address potential impacts of the library development on the Opera House
Report does not provide sufficient geotechnical information to safely design and construct the library development
...”depths (boreholes) are insufficient to assess the possible presence of poorly consolidated soils or adverse hydrostatic conditions below the proposed library basement.”
The Soil Engineering investigation did not include the installation of monitoring wells to collect accurate groundwater levels. Water level measurements were based solely on measurements collected at the time of drilling. Seasonal water levels should be investigated.
…there are no water level measurements at the proposed library basement level near the Opera House.
…report may significantly underestimate the groundwater impact on the development and surrounding infrastructure. This could result in underestimating the requirements for excavation shoring, the potential for basal stability and the need for dewatering.
...the Report does not address the need for shoring, nor provide recommendations for shoring design.... shoring system should include minimizing levels of vibration that may be produced during installation
....the Report notes the need for dewatering, but does not assess the impacts of dewatering. Impacts could include settlement to surrounding structures and infrastructure
....impact on the groundwater table should be assessed from long term dewatering from perimeter drains. As above, impacts on groundwater levels could result in settlement and impact on local infrastructure and building structures such as the Opera House.
...the Report does not address the potential impact to adjacent buildings such as the Opera House from construction-induced vibrations.
Orillia Opera House
It should be noted that in 1895, the Orillia opera House was constructed with only the technology of that period and without benefit of this latest geotechnical information. In addition, the existing foundation walls and footings survived a catastrophic event in 1915 and it must be assumed, until a full structural assessment proves otherwise, has already been compromised.
Key Points
Building was constructed (completed) in 1895
In July of 1915, fire “gutted” the building; only the heavy masonry walls, the basement and the main floor structure remained.
Restoration/Reconstruction was completed in 1917. Interior design and layout changed, building was reconstructed using existing foundation walls, footings and masonry exterior.
Inquiry (December 3rd 2009)
Lori Koughan, Library Project Team, Manager of Special Projects
“Is the Library Team in possession of a Structural Engineering assessment, and if so, was a copy of this report forwarded to the Architects for consideration in the design, preparation of tender documents and construction of the library building?
Not aware of the existence of such a report. Library team did not commission a separate report and is unsure as to whether such a report for this building even exists.
Recommendations:
It is our opinion that given the aforementioned we believe that the City has not conducted sufficient testing and analysis to support the safe construction of this facility in such close proximity, and without potentially compromising the integrity of the adjacent building.
In addition we believe that a comprehensive study MUST be conducted to establish general ground water elevations incorporating full four season data. Such data will be necessary to establish the changing ground water elevations and the respective hydrostatic ground pressure arising from same.
This information becomes especially significant once existing ground water levels are altered through the dewatering process to construct the new library as noted in the Soil Engineering report. Any alteration to ground water levels by pumping or diverting ground water may potentially cause settlement to the adjacent buildings and infrastructure.
Also arising from the construction of this facility, the Soil Engineering report fails to address any issues of vibration. Demolition, excavation, drilling caissons, construction traffic and general soil compaction operations may create vibrations that would prove to be damaging to the Opera House.
We would strongly suggest that a CAHC (Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals) qualified structural engineer do a thorough assessment of the Opera House building. This inspection should include a comprehensive inspection with a full record of all pre-existing conditions on all building elements above and below grade. In addition, all additional geotechnical information collected should again be reviewed and interpreted for potential impact by CAHC qualified Geotechnical and Structural Engineering specialists. The protection and preservation of the Opera House must be a paramount consideration prior to any construction activity.
Additionally, we would strongly suggest that City of Orillia staff as well as members of council be made aware that the awarding of this contract at this time may be premature and may in fact result in a cancellation penalty or damages sought by the successful candidate should further investigation of the site conditions and their potential impact result in an unreasonable delay, substantial design amendments, retendering or cancellation.
Further, all parties involved should be aware, and are hereby notified by way of this communiqué, that proceeding without first fully investigating and addressing any and all concerns may be considered negligence and as such may result in a full assumption of liability should any loss or damages occur as a result.
Sincerely,
_____________________ _______________________
Patrick F. Kehoe Angelo Orsi
CC:
Mr. Pete Bowen, Chair, Orillia Municipal Heritage Committee
The Honourable Garfield Dunlop, MPP Simcoe North
The Honourable Aileen Carroll, Minister of Culture
Ms. Sarah Cossette, Ontario Ministry of Culture
Mr. John Stevens, Ontario Ministry of Culture
Mr. Sean Fraser, Ontario Heritage Trust
Mayor Ron Stevens, City of Orillia
Councillor Ralph Cipolla, City of Orillia
Councillor Joe Fecht, City of Orillia
Councillor Wayne Gardy, City of Orillia
Councillor Maurice McMillan, City of Orillia
Councillor Michael Fogarty, City of Orillia
Councillor Paul Spears, City of Orillia
Councillor Don Evans, City of Orillia
Councillor Tim Lauer, City of Orillia
Mr. Ian Brown, City manager, City of Orillia
Mrs. Lori Koughan, Special Projects, City of Orillia
One More Reason To Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Dec. 05, 2009
How Much More Must Orillians Edure of Mayor Pinocchio???
Once more the Nay Sayers can say "We told you so". Pinocchio and his rabid supporters for projects that make no sense while much better alternatives were available dismissed those who warned them. Calling anyone who dared question their ideas were relegated to the trouble maker heap. Denied access to committees and even FREE speech in that bastion of democracy the council chamber. Any questions about any project or matter concerning city business is met with the wall of FOI. Throughout City Hall every employee walks on tinder hooks if, they are unfortunate enough to have to speak with those of us marked by the sign of Pinocchio. I along with others have been subjected to this as we go about our legitimate business at City Center. Whichever counter we are at and whomever we are talking to, there always seems to be someone who shows up within earshot to make sure the clerks say nothing. One can feel the tension in these people as their eyes dart side to side looking for who might be behind the pillars spying on their actions and words. A terrible place to work for anyone who wants to serve the public honestly and to the best of their ability.
Today we the Library Project Nay Sayers who are not against a new library, but against the location and cost have come out in full armor to force Pinocchio and his supporters, to finally do what should have been done right from the begining. Like with the ExMURF, huge sums were spent while building nothing only to resist having to say we made a mistake. Council along with their high priced experts were warned of not so stable soil , under ground streams and Artesian wells. As with the MURF people who knew and know begged them to proceed with due care and caution. People said please save the Farmers' Market. People begged to take the Opera House into consideration along with the heritage theme of the downtown. Please save the parking. But as with the ExMURF all to no avail. They refused to listen, even when their own architects came back with an additional $500,000 cost to shore up the structures foundation because of soil conditions which was not found until much later in the process. Proper testing should have been done from the getgo . Problems would have been evident before millions of dollars worth of contracts were signed with Shore, Tilbe. Only once committed to this contract, was the truth and additional cost released and only when they had no choice. Even then they didn't bother to peer review. Sound familiar folks????
Once again the burden of their Errors in Judgement have been placed on the shoulders and backs of taxpayers and individuals. as with the ExMURF it was we the dissidents who fought for and paid with our own money to expose the truth. While we spent our time and money Pinocchio and his supporters wasted tens of millions of dollars. The harder we pushed the more they wasted. Today we have another potential disaster avoided because there are those of us in Orillia who actually care. Thanks to Pat Kehoe who didn't go away, because he knew what could happen, another potential disaster has been at least avoided if not stopped. I am sure the more he looked into this project as we with the ExMURF he found more and more problems. Anyone remember when Pat gave his deputation last spring and the mayor said, he was sorry but it was too late to change course. Pinocchio used the exact same words 4 years before when he was asked not to bury the pond and to hold back on the dig and dump $2,2000,000 waste at the EXMURF Site. In testament to Pinocchio's and councils' arrogance we have a $2,200,000 pile of dirt slowly sinking into the loon sh*t as more and more toxins are squeezed off site going farther and farther North, South, East and West possibly contaminating even clean areas of the city.
Looks like Pat Kehoe and Angelo Orsi have formed their own "Citizen's Coalition" with others I am sure, to right a wrong before disaster consumed the Opera House. But unfortunately Pinocchio and councillors didn't listen and another $2,000,000 of our hard earned money on buying and renovating the Gill St. property unnecessarily has been wasted. As with the EXMURF we told them so once again, but they refused to listen. While Stevens refused to listen and believe that Kehoe and others had genuine concerns and dismissed him as well us all, today his Pinocchioness has modified his view.
"Despite the fact this last-minute objection may delay the project, Stevens said he has respect for Kehoe and Orsi and doesn't see their action as frivolous".
"I feel they have genuine concern. I have accepted it as genuine concern." Well aren't Pat and Angelo lucky that Pinocchio finally accepts their concern as genuine?????
Pat and Angelo have put up a web-site which everyone should check out. Lots of great information http://www.saveouroperahouseorillia.ca. Make sure you check out the A picture is worth a 1000 words button. You see folks only a block away we have already had a heritage building collapse from construction activity. Shouldn't these people have known to do proper testing instead of hurrying to start this ill thought out project??? Looks like Pinocchio's time in office will end the same way as it began. With lies and yet another scandal. Orillia simply can not afford him for another year. Council should be asked to remove him from the chair and take charge of the city and it's management. Boss Hogg is as much to blame for this mess as are the politicians. Pinocchio's and Brown's alliance has cost Orillia taxpayers tens of millions with more to come and hundreds of millions in bad publicity for our community. We are a laughing stock around the world.
jim tolnai
One More Reason To Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Dec.03, 2009
Cover-Up Part Two
Housing Committee
Established: 1992
The City of Orillia Housing Committee consists of four members of Council. Prior to the Committee’s formation in October 2002, a Task Force on Affordable Housing presented the findings of its study to Council highlighting the rental-housing crisis in the City, particularly in regard to affordable rent.
The Committee’s mandate is as follows:
• To identify the needs and barriers to the creation of housing, affordable housing and accessible housing and to recommend to Council possible initiatives and strategies for the creation of housing units.
Regular Meeting Date: 4th Wednesday of each month at 4:30 p.m. in the Orillia City Centre. From City web-site
Current Committee members:
Ralph Cipola: Chair
Don Evans
Maurice MacMillan
Tim Lauer
My item on Nov. 27 regarding this sordid cover up affair asked some very basic questions. I had hoped that the Packet might take their responsibility to the community seriously and they would seek answers themselves. I had hoped they would actually do a proper investigation and start looking after the interest of their readers. But with now 5 days of virtual silence it seems they along with councillors, committee members, city management and maybe the PSD board are hoping it has been buried.
I have now begun to answer the questions posed. My first question is answered as the Housing Committee meets on the 4th. Wednesday of every month which they did on Nov. 25, 2009. But the announced time of the meeting is 4:30 pm. Yet on the 25th these guys actually changed the time to 9:30 am. It seems no members of the public attended. Most likely because if one announces regular meetings for 4:30 pm and then holds them at 9:30 am I guess people wouldn't know to show up. My next question was whether minutes were taken. Ms. Rabbits was kind enough to forward a DRAFT copy of the minutes Date stamped: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 10:13:11 and forty minutes later at 10:53 sent me a revised one. Hmmmmmm?????
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CITY OF ORILLIA HOUSING COMMITTEE HELD IN THE BROOKS BOARD ROOM ON
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009 AT 9:30 A.M.
Present: Councillor Ralph Cipolla, Chair Councillor Don Evans
Councillor Tim Lauer
Councillor Maurice McMillan
Also Present: Edward N. Starr, Principal, SHS Consulting
Jodi Ball, Senior Research and Policy Analyst, SHS Consulting
Ian C.R. Brown, City Manager
Debrah A. Rabbitts, Executive Assistant to the Mayor & Council, Recording Secretary
______________________________________________________________________
CALL TO ORDER
The Chair called the meeting to order at 9:35 a.m.
2. WELCOME SHS CONSULTANTS
Mr. Cipolla welcomed Mr. Starr and Ms. Ball to the meeting.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Moved by Don Evans and seconded by Tim Lauer that the agenda be approved as written. CARRIED
DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST AND THE GENERAL NATURE THEREOF
None declared.
SHS CONSULTING - DEVELOPMENT OF AN AFFORDABLE ACTION PLAN FOR THE CITY OF ORILLIA
a) Study Team
b) Study Area
c) Consultation Approach
d) Information Needs
e) Custom Tabs
Mr. Starr and Ms. Ball reviewed with the committee the work plan and the objectives. SHS Consultants will create a series of recommendations for actions by Orillia City Council that are within its jurisdiction and which, if implemented, will lead to an increase in affordable, cost effective rental and homeownership opportunities in the community. Deadline for completion March 31, 2010.
MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETING
Report to Council re suitable sites for proposed affordable housing project.
The draft report was reviewed and several changes were suggested. Revised report submitted to Council Services for the next Council Agenda.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:
Moved by Don Evans and seconded by Maurice McMillan that the minutes of October 14, 2009, October 21, 2009, October 28, 2009 and November 20, 2009 be approved as written. CARRIED
8. CORRESPONDENCE
Memo from Ali Chappel, Intermediate Planner re Application for Site Plan Approval: YMCA - Addition (300 Peter Street West)
Received as information.
Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) Funding Opportunity
Received as information.
OTHER BUSINESS
A letter of reference signed by the Mayor on the Housing Committee letterhead was discussed and appropriate action was taken.
10. NEXT MEETING January 26, 2010 or at the call of the Chair
11. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 11:20 a.m.
Revised Draft Minutes?????
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CITY OF ORILLIA HOUSING COMMITTEE HELD IN THE BROOKS BOARD ROOM ON
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009 AT 9:30 A.M.
Present: Councillor Ralph Cipolla, Chair Councillor Don Evans
Councillor Tim Lauer
Councillor Maurice McMillan
Also Present: Edward N. Starr, Principal, SHS Consulting
Jodi Ball, Senior Research and Policy Analyst, SHS Consulting
Ian C.R. Brown, City Manager
Debrah A. Rabbitts, Executive Assistant to the Mayor & Council, Recording Secretary
______________________________________________________________________
CALL TO ORDER
The Chair called the meeting to order at 9:35 a.m.
2. WELCOME SHS CONSULTANTS
Mr. Cipolla welcomed Mr. Starr and Ms. Ball to the meeting.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Moved by Don Evans and seconded by Tim Lauer that the agenda be approved as written. CARRIED
DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST AND THE GENERAL NATURE THEREOF
None declared.
SHS CONSULTING - DEVELOPMENT OF AN AFFORDABLE ACTION PLAN FOR THE CITY OF ORILLIA
a) Study Team
b) Study Area
c) Consultation Approach
d) Information Needs
e) Custom Tabs
Mr. Starr and Ms. Ball reviewed with the committee the work plan and the objectives. SHS Consultants will create a series of recommendations for actions by Orillia City Council that are within its jurisdiction and which, if implemented, will lead to an increase in affordable, cost effective rental and homeownership opportunities in the community. Deadline for completion March 31, 2010.
Mr. Starr, Ms. Ball and Mr. Brown excused themselves from the meeting after the consultant's overview of the project.
MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETING
Report to Council re suitable sites for proposed affordable housing project.
The draft report was reviewed and several changes were suggested. Revised report submitted to Council Services for the next Council Agenda.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:
Moved by Don Evans and seconded by Maurice McMillan that the minutes of October 14, 2009, October 21, 2009, October 28, 2009 and November 20, 2009 be approved as written. CARRIED
8. CORRESPONDENCE
Memo from Ali Chappel, Intermediate Planner re Application for Site Plan Approval: YMCA - Addition (300 Peter Street West)
Received as information.
Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) Funding Opportunity
Received as information.
OTHER BUSINESS
A letter of reference signed by the Mayor on the Housing Committee letterhead was discussed and appropriate action was taken.
10. NEXT MEETING January 26, 2010 or at the call of the Chair
11. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 11:20 a.m.
But what is most interesting is the less than adequate minutes concerning the infamous letter. A subject that should have garnered some heated banter if indeed the letter wasn't sanctioned by the committee says nothing. One would think that if the statement made in the minutes
"A letter of reference signed by the Mayor on the Housing Committee letterhead was discussed and appropriate action was taken", there would be some significant words about what the "appropriate action" actually was??????
Now how can appropriate action be taken if none are mentioned in the minutes???? More important no action was mentioned by any committee member on Monday night. In fact Lying Lauer was the only one who shed a light on the lie that "appropriate action had been taken". As his microphone was being interfered with enough came through to get a very clear picture. Yes the microphone problems are part of the cover up. he made the statement that they did discuss this issue and he "thought after the meeting that it should have been clarified"? So here we have Lying Lauer stating that their discussion did not clarify, yet the minutes without any information about the discussion says that "appropriate action was taken"??? So which is it??? Certainly not clear from the Draft or Revised minutes.
Another interesting point is who took these less than adequate minutes??? Why, it was Ms. Rabbitts the very person who it ends up the committee is blaming for the "Error in Judgement"???? Isn't it a conflict to have her actually being present during that discussion on her own inappropriate actions to do with this scandal and actually taking the minutes???? It is also interesting that Boss Hogg was present at this particular meeting. Was he involved in the discussion on this matter???? Did he have input into the "appropriate action was taken"???
This folks is how you are governed. Backroom meetings are only a part of it. They manipulate the process so it can be claimed that a public meeting had been held and it was the publics fault for not showing up. They then make sure to talk about the very matter that most concerns the public and simply not put it in the minutes. Yup! we are governed by a Mob. Conflict after conflict, stonewalling after stonewalling, mis-information after mis-information, lies after lies and even lies about lies, illegal after illegal closed meetings and now a direct link to insider criminal police operations/investigations. Is it any wonder the bad guys are winning the fight against crime???? If the liars and mis-informers are taken into the confidence of the police before their operations even begin, then as I said the other day, we have a very serious law and order problem. If every councillor except Mike Fogarty helps to cover up and supports the perpetrator of misdeeds, then it looks like there are more accomplices (Wise Guys) than there are Good Guys. Yup! we will never win the war on drugs, crime, embezzlement, fraud or corruption as long as city hall is rife with those who cover up, manipulate and lie so much, that there seems to be no truth left to discern. Same "sh*t" different day. Until you elect Honest people who will work for the public interest nothing will change. Unless there is a complete change of city management starting from the top down, nothing will ever change. Two Thousand and Ten is our opportunity to shed this city of the "Backroom Boys/ Wise Guys" influence. Folks don't be afraid of costs to deal with Orillia's management crisis as there are never any costs if changes are made for "Cause". Seems to me there is much "Cause". More to come so please do return.
jim tolnai
One More Reason To Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Dec. 01, 2009
The Anatomy of a Cover-Up Orillia Style
Once again mayor, councilors (except Fogarty) Housing Committee Members (Cipola, Evans, Lauer and MacMillan) city management along with the Packet and Times, Orillia politicians official apologist and cover up voice, have banded together in this Oh! so familiar Bullsh*t Waltz of the slimy. See no evil, hear no evil and never speak of evil and to these people it never happened.
Mike Fogarty who is blossoming to be his own man has over the past while found his gonads. He is starting to do the right thing against some pretty big odds as mayor, councilors, city management and the Packet have circled their wagons to mitigate damage. Good for him. Last night Fogarty asked for a simple correction to be made. All of council, mayor and city staff know that it was improper for the mayor to send a letter pretending to be from the Housing Committee. Especially when he isn't even on this committee. When the sh*t hit the fan last week Deb Rabbitts was made the sacrificial scape goat. Without objection she has taken the blame for the "Error in Judgment". Of course there was no error Because if Ms. Rabbitts didn't know his Pinocchioness wasn't on the Housing Committee then surely he must have? Yet he, I assume read the letter before he signed it?? Would it not have been prudent of him to go to Deb and say "I will not sign this letter because it has false claims in it". Deb I find that you have made an "Error in Judgment" and being an honest man I simply can not be party to such a lie. Deb you must immediately see to it that this letter is not sent out, as it will surely mislead people. But like in the TV show "Mission Impossible" Mayor Pinocchio also said that should the truth surface the real truth will be disavowed by the Chairman so if you take this assignment you will be to blame all by yourself Ms. Rabbitts.
Since last Thursday when the Packet wrote of this latest scandal, which will likely turn into a criminal investigation as the truth comes out, great effort has been expended to shut the story down. I had a couple of phone calls from people and one face to face on Friday with individuals who were quite upset at the Packet. I told all three that it was expected behaviour for the Packet, judging by their past operandi. How many times have I written here about the Packet looking after their own bottom line I said??? So no one should be surprised as it was a given that the cover up would happen and it has. Nothing in Friday, Saturday or Monday's paper regarding what may well become a huge political/criminal matter staining Orillia's reputation once more. Why even in today's Packet there is very little meat on the bone of this story. Surely with 4 days of investigation time the Packet must have received some new information to report or even a letter to the editor pro or con??? Yet today very little to report except that "Committee members have publicly accepted the explanation offered by Stevens and Deborah Rabbitts, executive assistant to mayor and council. The pair say the letter was printed on the committee's letterhead by mistake". Looks like Cipolla, Evans, Macmillan and Lauer actually believe that it was 100% the fault of Ms Rabbitts according to this??????? You see, there is only one person who typed the letter, chose the letterhead and printed it. " Why according to them, the mayor must have been duped into signing this letter without a chance to read it and surely Ms Rabbitts must have covered up the letter head so he couldn't see it????? Well how else can one explain the fact his Pinocchioness signed the fraudulent letter. It is or is it not his signature??? If it is not, then the letter is not only Perjury but it must be Forgery as well???? See I told you it will become a huge criminal matter. Why it looks like there could be Forgery involved which is criminal. Isn't it????
Anyway none of them wanted anything to do with Mike's request and as is the custom of John Swartz who runs the cable show and coincidentally works for the Packet as well Hmmmm..., he simply shut down the cameras while a deal was made to cover over the pile. Even with this deal made out of the public eye off camera, they had to edit out some of the sound. You see when Lying Lauer went to talk about the Committee's discussion of this scandal his microphone mysteriously started to breakup. Yup! he who controls the press, cameras and the microphone controls the world???? Good thing we have Speaking Out and all those many people who Speak Out if not publicly themselves through Speaking Out by passing on their info.
There is only one more cover up that the citizens of Orillia must not allow to happen. That is the Police Services Board. It is easy to see that there is great effort to make this scandal go away. The last thing they want is a proper investigation by the Attorney General. Last week I wrote that the PSD was the wrong people to investigate themselves. Yes themselves, as Pinocchio is one of them and so is Lying Lauer who is on the record for trying to cover this up. Like councillors last night who were working feverishly to stop censuring Pinocchio because he is not only one of them but is their leader, the PSD will do the same. The same is true of the local OPP doing this investigation. After all, it was one or more of them who approached Pinocchio with what should have been secret classified information wasn't it??? Why, according to Pinocchio under oath that is what he has said in the affidavit. These are not allegations but a sworn statement that it is the truth and nothing but the truth.
What this AG investigation should be after is information on how Mayor Stevens, Police, Councillors, city management could be connected to drug dealers and drug kingpins. Because, if the police announce their business and intentions to known friends of people they are investigating or whose property they are about to seize, then we have a huge law and order problem. The AG must investigate individual councillors who have gone out of their way to shut down public discussion and in turn knowledge of what actually happened and their attempt to whitewash what can only be described as some very dirty business. The AG must also investigate members of the PSD and find out whom among them are or have been brought into Police operations and why?? And of course the members of the force who passed on this confidential information.
Lot's of questions will never be answered and I will bet a dollar to a donut that all the stops have been pulled out to make sure that those at the very top will be protected at any cost. The first casualty is Ms. Rabbitts, judging by last nights One Act play. At this point one can not trust anyone. At what point of protecting and covering up does a person become an "Accomplice" to the actual bad guys????? So once more we have cover up, lies, backroom deals, intimidation and generally a good dose of Skullduggery. Nothing new but simply more of the same which we have lived with for the last 9 years since Pinocchio stole the hearts and more of Orillian's?????????
jim tolnai
One More Reason To Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Nov. 27, 2009
"It is an internal matter at this point," said Coun. Tim Lauer
Aw! looks like the band has struck up the "Bullsh*t Waltz". The problem with these people is that all public business in their eyes is an "Internal Matter". That is why they hold illegal in camera meetings. That is why they do not reprimand staff for lying to the public. That is why they treat all of us with such contempt. We are to be seen so that our pockets can be picked but not heard. As far as I am concerned any current members of the police services board are the wrong people to look at any wrong doing. This matter should be, no, must be handed over to the Solicitor General to be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Pinocchio must be relieved of his seat on the board as of yesterday. While at it, it might be a good idea to relieve Lying Lauer as well, seeing that he doesn't seem to think that influencing officers of the law to protect ones friends by a PSD board member who are involved with a criminal investigation, concerning drugs and weapons sends the wrong message to society. The Solicitor General should appoint two new arms length board members so that the board can function but certainly not, anyone from this council. They are all tainted.
I say tainted because the second verse of the "Bullsh*t Waltz" is the story on the reaction of the Housing Committee.
"Letter was an error in judgment: housing committee"
What a load of crap. This letter was and is a fraud period. It was supplied as evidence/exhibit to be used in a court hearing. Simply put, the letter is "Perjury." Two seasoned and politically experienced people like Rabbits and Pinocchio simply couldn't of both had such a huge "Error in Judgment." No, this was premeditated and carried out with the hope that no one would notice. The same as everything that comes from this mayor, council and city management.
Once again, instead of holding this guy responsible for the outright fraud of preparing and signing this fairytale letter, councillors and their appointees are circling the wagons to protect Pinocchio's and their own asses. The more things change in this town the more they stay the same. If this behaviour by the mayor and staff was a one off you might be able to argue "Error in Judgment". But we have had 9 years of this crap. Each time their "Error in Judgment" escalates and they never seem to learn anything from them. "I do letters of reference all the time for individuals that call." said Debra Rabbitts. But as the mayor's and council's Executive Assistant surley she must have known that it was inapropriate to use the Housing Committee's letter head? She must have known the mayor was not on that committee? Maybe it's time for someone to audit all these letters of references she talks about. You know to see if there are any other "Errors in Judgement"?????
There was no Error and the only Judgment used was that they judged they could get away with it. This town has finally reached a crisis of confidence that these scoundrels can not repair or cover up any longer. I have been saying for years that we are governed by the Mob . Maybe now Orillians will finally see how the underworld is connected to those who call themselves the upper crust. Have we finally become New Jersey North???? At what point of supporting and covering up do people actually become Co-conspirators????? In her book On the Take: Crime, Corruption and Greed in the Mulroney Years Stevie Cameron touches on Orillia and a connection to the Mob. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevie_Cameron
When I read the mayor's own words about his close friend and what he said to the police and then what he wrote to the court in his Perjury letter, I nearly gagged.
"Stevens noted that Reilly "provides accommodation for the forgotten individuals; the homeless, the seriously mentally ill; recovering addicts and alcoholics" and others who live "at or below the poverty line"."
I got news for you Mr. Mayor. Homeless people, mentally ill people, recovering addicts, alcoholics and others who live at or below the poverty line do not have $Six thousand dollars in cash. They do not have thousands of dollars worth of cocaine or a 350 handgun. We know what kind of people have those things. In the Perjury letter which was written after Pinocchio had the facts on what was found in the seizure, he still repeated the "Bullsh*t" he tried on the police officers . One thing to say something in the heat of the moment but it is quite another when one is writing a cold and calculated letter in the hopes of fooling the courts. That my friends can only be seen as a Perjury Letter.
"Orillia's housing committee has decided to take no action regarding a letter signed by Mayor Ron Stevens under their letterhead and sent without their knowledge or approval". So when was the committee meeting called that discussed this fraud? Was it open to the public? And if not why not? If it was public, was it attended by anyone from the public and were they allowed to Speak Out? Was there an agenda published and where can it be found so that the public might be able to see it? Were there minutes kept and are they available to the public?
Once again these people are trying to make a silk purse from a sows' ear. But no way boys, as nobody believes you anymore. You have lied, cheated and ripped us off way too many times. Like the boy who cried wolf once too many times, you scoundrels will be eaten by the Electorate next year.
Then the new council will do what should have been done 9 years ago. You know, hold all of you responsible. There will be a Judicial Inquiry right after the Forensic Audit followed by a proper Independent police investigation. The new council and mayor will immediately appoint committees made up of qualified people who serve the people, not those who appointed them. Yup! I can feel what is coming just like one feels a summer thunder storm in the air.
jim tolnai
One More Reason To Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
Nov. 26, 2009
Who can we turn to? Who can we TRUST to clean up Corruption????
For years I have been fighting to expose the seedy underbelly of Orillia politics. Since the day I found out that Mayor Pinocchio took illegal campaign contributions back in the 2000 election, I have been putting together a puzzle. Tuesday's revelation of an affidavit by the mayor and his fraudulent use of the Orillia Housing Committee letterhead fills in a big chunk of the puzzle. Thank you Mayor Pinocchio.
In order to put this part of the puzzle in context we need to go back to 2000. You see it is illegal under the Municipal Election Act for related companies to donate more than I believe $1,000 to a candidate. It is incumbent on the candidate to know the law and abide by it. The mayor a seasoned politician with a seasoned political team broke the law in accepting a $5,000 donation from related companies. When the Packet broke the story, instead of the mayor taking responsibility he blamed it on others. Went down to City Hall, wrote a cheque for the illegal portion of the donation and claimed no big deal.
A number of people including myself were most concerned that this guy could simply get away with this clear breaking of the law. In fact a number of people petitioned for council to review this matter and set up some sort of inquiry. We were not only refused but were attacked. As I sat in chamber listening to people like Gardy, Ann-marie Alexander and others on council attack people who were there only for transparency and democracy to take place most of us left dejected with many never to show themselves or be heard from again. I was disappointed but continued on and started asking questions. The more questions I asked the more corruption came to light. But for the most part I waged no public campaign but only collected information and evidence.
But then along comes one Mr. Doug Downey. This guy decides that he is above the law he voted for and to save face on his outrageous Conflict of Interest faux pax I decided Enough was Enough. I took him to court and chastised all councillors and mayor for daring to support his conflict and virtually dismissing it. That got my dander up and I began to really look into Orillia's closed door politics. It was easy to see how only certain people were ever chosen for committees over and over again. It was easy to see how certain businesses were treated favorably while others could rub salt. Upon comparing notes with others and collecting more and more evidence of nepotism, collusion and even down right border line criminal behaviour I came across the land deal for 12 1/2 acres behind the former Wal Mart store. This deal stunk to high heaven. I decided to ask for a police investigation. Supplying all my evidence to the police, Packet and Orillia Today naively I thought there would be a genuine effort by all three to investigate honestly and report to Orillia the goings on.
Instead I came to realize that Orillia's OPP were less than enthusiastic to have my complaint. I found exactly the same attitude when I dropped into the Packet offices and spoke with Colin McKim and Mark Bissett. Instead of asking me questions on the documents I passed to them Colin wasn't interested in anything except to make silly excuses for mayor and council. In the 40 minutes I spent there neither of these men had one question about my evidence and I left knowing that they would do nothing to right a wrong, but would be working diligently to try and cover over or dismiss me as some radical nut bag. With Orillia Today while there was less dismissal there was very little enthusiasm as well.
To bring you up to speed on this travesty here is what I wrote about this land deal for the first time in Nov. 2002
ISSUE1.pdf
. As I collected more evidence and information which took many months I stepped forward to lay the complaint. They accused me of doing it for political reasons but the truth is the last piece of the puzzle only came into my possession a couple of weeks before I decided to lay the complaint. You see between the start and when I was able to accumulate the evidence a friend had joined me to help out. Doug Peddle is a real shmooser and where I had been identified as a danger to the clique at City Hall Doug was an unknown. People seemed happy to give him documents because they thought it was safe to do so. Anyway, I laid the complaint and presented our evidence. I then wrote the story in Speaking Out so that there would be historical evidence. Here is that article
ISSUE10.pdf
. Then as what turned out to be Not an Investigation by the OPP I wrote this
ISSUE12.pdf
. Once again Pinocchio seemed to have gotten away with this outrageous scam.
I am tenacious if nothing else and I persevered on collecting information and proof. Then along comes the Mother of All Scams called MURF. Doug and I worked diligently to get documentation and evidence. Even though we had become almost immune to the dirty dealings of Pinocchio we were still shocked and outraged by what this man, council and city management were wanting to do to the people and especially the children of Orillia. It's one thing when the harm is about money but this was an attack on the health and well being of the entire community. We couldn't just walk away from it and live with ourselves. While Pinocchio, Boss Hogg and their bum boys may not have a conscience we do. You see we got a hold of the appraisal on the Molson property and it contained the smoking chemical gun. Up until then no one except Pinocchio, Boss Hogg and councillors had known about what this property contained. Next we got a hold of the Transfer Agreement and knew we had to get others involved by letting them see the evidence. Very hesitantly I produced the evidence again to the Packet and it was rejected like the land deal evidence had been. That is when we approached the likes of Millard, Clune, Clooney and others to form the Citizen's Coalition. More and more evidence mounted and others joined in. Some were ringers planted by those on the other side but we prevailed.
As time went on Pinocchio and city management became more and more bold in their behaviour and actions. Each time there seemed to be no consequence to what they did so they cranked it another notch. From withholding and lying about the Molson Environmental Report to withholding crucial information from council it self to even stealing personal mail from councillors mailboxes. It seemed like no one except a few was holding them responsible. The police weren't interested. Why the police were recruited by the Mayor down at Couchiching Park during Canada Day to threaten and harass Kelly Clune and Jenine Baker. They were approached by a police officer while sitting under a tree eating their lunch and told to get out of the park or be arrested. Seems Pinocchio didn't like the "Pig Trough" the ladies had brought down to the park. They made a complaint, but after well over a year of trying to get justice they were dismissed. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs weren't interested. Why?????
But all bad things must come to an end. On October 30 Pinocchio gave an Affidavit in an effort to try and protect the interest of his friend and benefactor and or to try and cover his tacks. You see what I have been saying here in these pages for so long about this guy is now being proven true by none other than Pinocchio himself. My assertion that the police were not acting independently and doing their job properly on the land deal is now ringing true. While the OPP refused to investigate or even interview Pinocchio on the land deal, the same police take the mayor into their confidence about a high risk police operation. Yup! Pinocchio was told about a Swat Team take down a half hour or maybe even hours before it happened. Now doesn't anyone find that odd???? Why on earth would police go to Pinocchio and give him this confidential police information before it took place??? Information so precise that even the name of the owner of the properties in question was discussed with him. Why??????
Here is what the Packet wrote on Monday about what Pinocchio said after the raid in 2008.
"At the time, Stevens characterized the bust as "unnerving," and noted police had been watching the address for some time.
"It's very dangerous for the police officers. When they've got to go through that door, no matter how well they're equipped, that weapon is in there."
The story then goes on with this.
In the affidavit, Stevens also suggests he was blind sided by the plan to seize Reilly's properties just half an hour before the operation's execution.
"When the police officers revealed to me that it was properties belonging to Mr. Reilly which were the target of the seizure, I was shocked and expressed my disbelief to those officers, stating that 'Mr. Reilly provides decent accommodation to those who need it.' I spoke in defense of Mr. Reilly at that time, but to no avail."
In his statement, the mayor says he's known Reilly for at least 10 years, "both professionally and personally, and we have developed a strong friendship."
Why would the police take Pinocchio into their confidence on such a dangerous or any take down??? Who were these police officers as the mayor claims there was more than one informing him ("When the police officers revealed" ). So if you read my story in Issue 12 on the investigation of Pinocchio or more like lack of, a very clear picture comes into view. Are the Orillia OPP independent of political interference???? It seems not as the mayor, who as a member of the Orillia Police Services Board is not allowed by law of trying to influence police did so with impunity. At the same time police are also forbidden by law from approaching and divulging police operations to anyone not authorized to know. So who authorized for the mayor to be informed? Did these officers report that the mayor attempted to influence them from proceeding with their duties? Did the officers caution the mayor that he was breaking the law???? We need a Forensic Audit a Judicial Inquiry and an Independent Police Investigation on all the goings on over the last almost ten years this guy has been around. Deal after questionable deal involving ten's of millions of dollars gone from the public purse with nothing but more costs to show for it. We need to Impeach this guy and clean up the stench that is everywhere in this town once and for all. (more tomorrow)
One More Reason To Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
jim tolnai
We Still Need a Forensic Audit
We Still Need a Judicial Inquiry
We Need to Audit the Library Project as Well
We Need to Impeach Mayor Ron Stevens
