Disrespect and bad behaviour – Page 9

The secrecy and deception behind Collingwood’s utility sale

Meetings held behind closed doors late into the night. Personal vendettas. Kickbacks. Conspiracy theories. Scams and phony reports. Backroom deals. Unethical politicians conniving. Dubious legality. Shady characters pulling strings from the shadows. Scheming. Minions acting like thugs. Cowardice. Hidden contracts. Lies and deception. A deal they can’t refuse. A financial shell game. The betrayal of public trust. If that sounds like the ingredients for a crime novel, to me it reads like Collingwood Council’s secretive, unethical “process” to sell our public utilities. The public was betrayed by The Block. The process has a stench of corruption about it. And don’t … click below for more ↓

Collus in purgatory

2017-10-20 2017-10-20 Collingwood / Council / Disrespect and bad behaviour / Ethics and behaviour / Staff and administration / Utilities: electricity and water3 Comments

Purgatory is how a staff person described to me the current situation of our local electrical utility, Collus-PowerStream (CPS). It’s the result of The Block’s and the administration’s incessant interference, manipulations, contrivances and scheming over the past three years. And it was evident, Wednesday, at the meeting where CPS presented its draft Distribution System Plan, a strategic plan for future maintenance and growth. They’re in purgatory because The Block have made the utility’s future uncertain. They cannot accurately craft business plans, strategic plans, cannot make any long-range plans for growth or sustainable development because they never know what new hurdle … click below for more ↓

The secret costs of the EPCOR deal

2017-10-19 2017-10-23 Collingwood / Council / Disrespect and bad behaviour / Ethics and behaviour / Publicity & Communications / Staff and administration / Taxes / Utilities: electricity and water2 Comments

Whether or not The Block sell our share of our public electrical utility to the for-profit, Edmonton-based EPCOR, it will still cost taxpayers millions. And I don’t mean just the rising costs of sole-sourced lawyers and buddy consultants the administration has hired (well over $1 million already, and the bills keep coming in). I’m talking about the hidden costs The Block won’t divulge because they don’t want taxpayers to realize how really bad a deal they’ve made with this devil. And it all happens behind closed doors, Monday, Oct. 23, 2017. No public input allowed on the sale of our … click below for more ↓

The Block are privatizing our public assets

2017-09-30 2017-10-05 Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / Disrespect and bad behaviour / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & Policies / Staff and administration / Taxes / User fees and costsLeave a comment

So Brian and his Block minions want to sell our airport. Our publicly-owned asset. And they’re doing it without even the pretence of the courtesy to tell us why. No public input, no public engagement, no open discussion over it. In the flaccid Connection story, it notes, In November, 2016, deputy mayor Brian Saunderson asked Clearview Township Deputy Mayor Barry Burton if his municipality was interested in taking over operation of the airport. As usual, the slavish local media drool over their buddy Brian, but cleverly neglect to point out that Saunderson is neither the spokesperson for the town (and … click below for more ↓

True Integrity? Not The Block…

2017-09-15 2017-09-15 Collingwood / Council / Disrespect and bad behaviour / Ethics and behaviour / Psychology & SociologyLeave a comment

There’s an interesting article online called, 13 Traits of People With True Integrity that opens with the (unintentionally?) funny line: Integrity, for those who are not familiar, is quite important. After you guffaw at that bit, the author continues, “People who have a strong sense of integrity are sadly a rare breed. However, there are still some people left in this world with integrity, and usually, they share the following 13 traits.” Integrity in this article is linked to the meaning, “adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.” (Yes, I know we’re talking about The Block, just … click below for more ↓

Why not to run for council

2017-09-12 2017-09-12 Collingwood / Council / Disrespect and bad behaviour / Ethics and behaviour / Municipal PoliticsLeave a comment

A recent article shared with me on Facebook, titled “Five Terrible Reasons to Run for Municipal Office” lists many – but far from all – of the reasons people should not run for office. It’s a good read and, since the silly season will be on us soon enough (some of The Block are already in campaign mode), you should pay attention if you plan to run for office next year. Knowing why not to run is as important as knowing why you should. The author of this piece is Danielle Klooster, self-described as, “… a leading Alberta provider of … click below for more ↓

Why are they called The Block?

2017-09-09 2017-09-09 Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / Disrespect and bad behaviour / Ethics and behaviourOne Comment

Seven members of our council are collectively referred to as “The Block” in common parlance. A fitting nickname for a group that includes its leader, the deputy mayor, Brian Saunderson, his five core minions (all newly elected to council this term), and one veteran wannabe (nicknamed the “pledge” in frat house terms). Most folks assume they are called The Block because they vote as a block. Once Brian raises his hand, the rest raise theirs like obedient little puppets. No need to think, no need to question, analyze or debate: they do what they’ve been told. For which they are … click below for more ↓

The work of politics

2017-08-27 2017-09-05 Books & Reviews / Collingwood / Council / Disrespect and bad behaviour / Ethics and behaviourLeave a comment

Politics is like many other skills, jobs and pastimes in that it requires work to succeed. Hard work, sometimes, for some folk, and easy for others, but always it requires attention, study, and focus. It isn’t something you can do when you’re not paying attention or even when you’re napping at the table (no matter what our own somnambulant councillor thinks… or more likely, doesn’t think at all). It isn’t something you can do effectively if, like our Block, you try to do it casually, or part-time, or whenever you feel like doing it, without paying attention or without effort. … click below for more ↓

Disrespectful treatment of the mayor, again

2017-08-25 2017-08-25 Collingwood / Council / Disrespect and bad behaviour / Ethics and behaviourLeave a comment

There’s a seemingly innocuous story in the Connection this week titled, “Collingwood to sell railway to County of Simcoe for $900,000” that underscores the ongoing disrespect The Block and the local media have for our Mayor. Down at the bottom of the piece there is a quote from The head of The Block, Deputy Mayor Brian Saunderson. That clearly shows how the local media collude with The Block to promote their personal agendas.* Saunderson doesn’t speak for council or the town. The mayor does. Using a quote from him instead of her is a flagrant act of disrespect. And it … click below for more ↓