Collingwood – Page 22

Sadly, it’s business as usual

I suppose you expect I am disappointed that not a single one of The Block had the spine, the moral compass, the ethical guts to resign after killing the hospital redevelopment. After all, I called on them all – plus the interim CAO – to resign immediately. Not doing so, I said, would prove everything I ever said about them. They didn’t budge. Well, my compensation is that I get to say “I told you so.” Again. I suspect I will repeat those words several more times this term. People only disappoint you when they don’t live up to your ……… click below for more ↓

The Block killed the hospital. They MUST all resign. Now.

2017-05-08 2017-05-11 Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / Ethics and behaviour / Hospital2 Comments

The actions of The Block and the town’s administration have resulted in the Collingwood General & Marine Hospital losing its chance for redevelopment. The province didn’t include funding for the local proposal in its budget. The next opportunity for such funding will be at least a decade away, if one ever comes along. If any of these people have even a shred of decency, of honour, they will all resign immediately. If any of these people felt even a twinge of shame for misleading the community while they pursued their own personal – and very destructive – agendas, they would ……… click below for more ↓

‘Senator’ Jeffrey gets more money again

2017-05-05 2017-05-05 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / TaxesOne Comment

The Block once again rewarded one of their own by granting Councillor ‘Senator’ Jeffrey an unlimited expense account to wine, dine and party across Canada on the taxpayer’s dollar. The Connection story is headlined, “Collingwood councillor seeks Federation of Canadian Municipalities seat. That – like so many other Connection headlines – is incorrect. She has held the seat for the last two-and-a-half years, paid for by you, the taxpayer. This is just to extend her entitlement, a blank cheque without the messiness of accountability. The Block think that your tax dollars should be shovelled into that maw, with no restrictions, ……… click below for more ↓

The DM’s height of hypocrisy

2017-05-04 2017-05-05 Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / Ethics and behaviour / HospitalLeave a comment

There’s a story in this week’s Connection with the misleading headline, “Town asks hospital for public meeting”. The online version has it as “Collingwood asks hospital for public meeting.” Neither is correct. The “town” wants nothing of the sort. The mayor – who speaks for the town – has never expressed that on behalf of council. Actually, she voted against the request. But the real headline is buried in the opening: “Collingwood’s deputy mayor wants council and the hospital to put out a united front on the redevelopment plan.” Well, it’s clear to see why the Connection is being called ……… click below for more ↓

Collingwood deserves answers

2017-04-29 2017-04-29 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviourLeave a comment

The Most Secretive Council Ever has never told the public why it has been so intent on damaging this community. We have never had an explanation why they are so inflexible, so hostile to other ideas, so adversarial to opinions other than their own. We have never been told why they are so focused on their own entitlement and give no thought for or support to the residents and taxpayers in Collingwood. We have been kept in the dark about their motives and goals while The Block continues its destructive rampage against community institutions through these past two and a ……… click below for more ↓

This man should resign

2017-04-25 2017-04-25 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviourLeave a comment

Can a municipality operate effectively with a toxic relationship between the mayor and the CAO? Can staff avoid being involved in the confrontation? Can the public expect the best service and support from its leaders if the two top people are at odds? Clearly not. A story in The Connection reinforced just how bad things have become in town hall between the mayor and the interim CAO. Once you read it, I believe you will agree with me: the interim CAO must go. Now. Right now. He is an embarrassment to everyone. This behaviour is intolerable. It doesn’t matter that he ……… click below for more ↓

More council secrecy, more council scheming

2017-04-23 2017-04-24 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Utilities: electricity and waterOne Comment

On Monday’s council agenda there are again two in-camera topics that reinforce just how much little respect The Block have for process, ethics, the public, legality, openness and transparency. The Block will – again – secretly discuss privatizing our water and wastewater services to the out-of-province, for-profit corporation, EPCOR, and also secretly discuss appointing new directors to the Collus-PowerStream board. Both should be discussed and decided in public. Both should have had public input or consultation. But why should The Block change habits now? The backroom, sole-source EPOCR deal is so shady it could have been a script for The ……… click below for more ↓

Another imaginary roadblock for the hospital

2017-04-22 2017-04-22 Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / Ethics and behaviour / Hospital5 Comments

In the April 24 addendum to the agenda there is a report by the interim CAO about the hospital redevelopment you should read. It seems another council hissy fit is in the making. Your first question should be: why is the interim CAO writing and signing a report that ought to come from the planning department? It’s a planning issue – was the planning department reluctant to submit it? Didn’t agree with the conclusions? It’s a political document and written in political language. Perhaps no one in the department felt they should take ownership of it. Planning issues should be ……… click below for more ↓

Collus-PowerStream responds about dividend

2017-04-22 2017-04-22 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Taxes / Utilities: electricity and waterLeave a comment

On the April 24 council agenda is an addendum that includes the response from Collus-PowerStream about The Block’s questions over the lack of a dividend from the utility. I wrote about this last month in Dividends for Dummies. I’m glad to see what I wrote then has been proven correct. The original letter from CPS back in February, stated, “The Board decision was based on the Dividend Policy of the Corporation including consideration of an appropriate capital structure and working capital levels required to continue to operate as a viable business.” Clearly none of The Block had the slightest clue ……… click below for more ↓

Shoulda, coulda, woulda

2017-04-19 2017-04-19 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & Policies / Publicity & CommunicationsLeave a comment

Two and a half years of calamitous mismanagement. Council motivated by wild conspiracy theories, maliciousness and personal vendettas. A rudderless, ruthless administration flailing and fumbling its way from one catastrophe to another. The town’s reputation ruined. Our municipal partners and neighbours alienated. Secret discussions determine the fate of our assets while the public is excluded from the process. Taxes and costs rising and sole-sourced contracts handed out like party favours. Ethics tossed out the window and the municipal air redolent with the stench of entitlement. And the term is barely half-way through. What a disaster. Any commentary or discussion on ……… click below for more ↓

Why is this man still working for Collingwood? – part 2

2017-04-08 2017-04-08 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Hospital / Planning & PoliciesLeave a comment

Almost a year ago, I posed the question: why is the interim CAO still working for Collingwood? After his behaviour and aggressive, disrespectful grilling of the hospital board chair and foundation head, March 27, 2017, that question has even more significance. And, you might ask, why hasn’t council dealt with it? After all, his behaviour reflects on them – and poorly. The interim CAO’s relationship with the mayor is at best strained, at worst abrasive and unproductive. In a recent email she accused him of bullying and suggested he resign. Councillor Lloyd has made similar comments and recently blocked his ……… click below for more ↓

The hospital, the trolley and political ethics

2017-04-03 2017-04-03 Books & Reviews / Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Hospital / What I'm Reading NowOne Comment

In its decision about the redevelopment of the Collingwood General & Marine Hospital, Collingwood Council is evidently taking the track less travelled, trolleyology-wise. Seen as an ethical issue, our council has chosen to act against the greater good. Trolleyology is the somewhat humourous name given to philosophical intellectual exercises or thought problems about our ethics and ethical choices. As Wikipedia describes it, the basic problem (and there are many, many variants) is simple: There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is ……… click below for more ↓

Council continues to attack the hospital

2017-03-29 2017-03-30 Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / Ethics and behaviour / Hospital6 Comments

If I had the choice between spending eight hours in a dentist’s chair having oral surgery without anaesthetic and spending two hours in a council meeting listening to the bureaucratic bullshit, the administration’s unfocused mumbling and meandering, the councillors’ self-justifying, self-aggrandizing, self-righteous grandstanding, boasting, empty platitudes, and argumentative whining palaver, after last night, I’ll choose the dentist’s chair any time. It’s less painful. That’s because Monday night I spent two hours in an audience of more than 325 people listening to council trying to justify its war on our hospital, simply to support The Block’s shrunken base of supporters, all ……… click below for more ↓

Dividends for dummies

2017-03-16 2024-04-24 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Utilities: electricity and water9 Comments

A dividend, as defined by the Business Dictionary, is “A share of the after-tax profit of a company, distributed to its shareholders…” This is reiterated in the description from the Oxford Dictionary: “A sum of money paid regularly (typically annually) by a company to its shareholders out of its profits (or reserves).” So in order to pay a dividend, you need to make a profit. Otherwise, all your revenue goes to operating expenses, salaries and taxes. And a dividend isn’t paid to just one person or shareholder: if one shareholder gets one, then every shareholder gets one. Dividends are NOT ……… click below for more ↓

Volte-face on water

2017-03-16 2017-03-16 Collingwood / Council / Utilities: electricity and water4 Comments

On Tuesday, Simcoe County Council voted to “… begin negotiations with the 16 municipalities regarding a “future role” for the upper tier in water and wastewater operations – a municipal domain.” The county wants to bring water and wastewater under its wing to standardize services and improve operating efficiencies much the same way it has done with housing and emergency services. Our deputy mayor voted in favour. The only story so far on this appears in the New Tecumseth Free Press.* Not a bad idea to explore, for public discussion and input, weigh the pros and cons. But the problem ……… click below for more ↓