8 minute read

Clarifying the clarification

I am a big believer in allowing those who have been part of the subject matter in this space an opportunity to voice their opinion - expand or clarify their respective positions - as they choose and I do not offer back.

I am not a fan of back and forth posturing. I hang my opinion out there, others may agree, disagree, or be wholly indifferent.

This week, however, the subject matter around the McNally House Hospice ask which has now been before Grimsby council on two evenings requires additional comment.

Full house

Harmony Jewellers present a cheque to the WLMH Foundation for the funds raised through the Grimsby Centennial Pendant Campaign. This initiative consisted of the sales of Commemorative Pendants celebrating Grimsby’s centennial year. Proceeds were donated to the Foundation. Sales of the pendants totaled nearly $8,000. Presenting the funds were Harmony owner Kevin Luttjehuizen, general manager Lacey Horn with Alice Klamer, WLMH Foundation board director accepting.

Time and place

It is not particularly comforting to hear that the patient load pressures felt at West Lincoln Memorial Hospital are being felt similarly elsewhere, but with the magnifying issues we all face, it is up to us to help were possible.

The suggestions of alternative care options are helpful, but as noted, if you have a set appointment, or NEED hospital care you can be assured staff will do their best to care for you in their typically safe and professional manner.

A couple more weeks and flu season will pass, too, and numbers, generally, will return with Spring’s arrival. M.W

A major reason for this is there have been a lot of calls and feedback regarding Grimsby’s failed kick at the cat to approve - ahead of 2023’s budget consideration - a proposed ask for $132,000 which would be divided over four years of payments.

Simply, a majority on council have opted to defer an approval in favour of waiting for staff to develop a possible donation policy to any and all community/ charitable asks which come to council.

It has been stated here that is a sound policy and something the Town has lacked since its prior system was dissolved in the late 90s. So, let’s get into it.

As you will see on the facing page, there is a long opinion piece I received signed by two councillors, Veronica Charrois and Jennifer Korstanje.

I will just coast through their points.

The issue of the financial statement online - at no point in this space did I say they were the same document. I did not speak to reporting requirements. I noted the 2022 financials were not on McNally’s website, but financials - with no mention of their scope - are available on the CRA site. That information is accurate. Regarding Coun. Nick DiFlavio’s comment about the Town financials not being on grimsby.ca, that had nothing to do with requirements, rather a simple comparator of transparency.

Their next comment brought West Lincoln Coun. William Reilly into the picture. I noted that at their council meeting, Reilly said the McNally ask should be considered with two conditions: community members be on or at least considered for McNally board positions, and; West Lincoln would not consider approving any financial support unless Grimsby did.

The Charrois/Korstanje letter suggests these conditions were not part of the motion.

On this, to confirm the debate at their meeting, I spoke with Reilly on Monday morning. He confirmed all my information was correct, noting it was not in the motion approved because there was no motion to approve the support.

“I thought your assessment was bang on and accurate or I would have called you,” said Reilly. So enough on that.

The debate about the “priority” of the expansion... my understanding, expanding to 10 beds in the existing building would not allow for needed community programs, such as bereavement counselling and other hospice support initiatives. Not much of a debate from this view.

The matter of Grimsby residents having already paid into the project via provincial and regional contributions. Not disputed, but, again, from this vantage point, that is what partnerships are all about. Everyone chips in. Generally, that is considered effective government. And while hospices have been exempt from property taxes since 2011, McNally paid nearly $4,500 on 19 Lynnwood in 2022 as it not considered part of the core property. This ties into the final point of $31,000 the Town waived for zoning fees in ’22. Yes, it was done. As the hometown of McNally, the Town will get it back through taxes. The refund did not cost the Town that full amount. Some staff time was the biggest component of that expense.

Dear Editor,

It was disappointing to see evidence of bias and incorrect information presented in your NewsNow editorial, “Shocking Level of Misinformation”, dated Feb. 9, 2023.

Although West Lincoln shared the same concerns over the past two years as Grimsby, our recent votes concerning additional funding for McNally Hospice resulted in an imbalance of unfair criticism between the gender of councillors.

The level of misunderstanding from your editorial needs some clarification.

“Coun. Delight Davoli noted deep concern about 2022 financials for McNally House and its Foundation not being posted on its website. Accurate, but the documents are online, accessible to all on Canada Revenue Agency’s Website. So nothing is being concealed. Also, as Coun. Nick Diflavio noted, the Town’s 2022 Year End has yet to find its way to grimsby.ca.”

This is true. However, the mandatory CRA-published documents contain much less detailed information to interpret the numbers and program funding. Coun. Davoli, a Chartered Professional Accountant and like most in her field, prefer to see the most transparent documents, which would have been an audited financial statement with commentary, completed by an independent accounting firm. Secondly, by quoting Coun. DiFlavio, you incorrectly perpetuate that charity financing and municipal finance, that actually have different reporting requirements, are similar, which they are definitely not.

“Coun. Veronica Charrois noted West Lincoln council also deferred the McNally ask to them until their budget process. True, but it was also stated they would not support it unless Grimsby was onside, so Grimsby’s delay made West Lincoln’s deferral automatic.”

Clarification

Although West Lincoln Councillor William Reilly, made mention of asking for Grimsby’s financial commitment as a built-in clause, it was not included in the approved resolution. Your statement inappropriately misrepresents individual councillor comments or concerns as being a decision of West Lincoln Council, which is not correct at law. The resolution, passed unanimously, was merely to receive the delegation and defer the consideration until their budget time. The “Grimsby factor” does not affect West Lincoln unless they choose to use this to “pass the buck” in their budget deliberations.

“Coun. Jennifer Korstanje suggested West Lincoln also asked to have a “member” on their board and maybe Grimsby should too. No. They asked about having a resident on their board. And that is why campaign co-chair Debbie Zimmerman - to show an existing level of representation - noted Board Chair Murray Bain, a Grimsby resident, has strong ties to West Lincoln through his full-time job at Stanpac…”

Clarification

West Lincoln Coun., William Reilly asked for a “member”, not a “resident” to join the McNally Board.

The transcription of the meeting (https://youtube.com/ watch?v=4kSP952NYmk) states Councillor Reilly asking the Chair:

[1:38:36] “If I could ask … what the possibility would be for West Lincoln Council and staff to potentially appoint a member from West Lincoln to sit on their board of directors…”

“Korstanje suggested approving the McNally support now would somehow create a precedent and some sort of liability situation for the Town. Simply not true, not even remotely, and I don’t even know where that kind of sentiment could come from.”

Clarification

Distributing public tax dollars or not in an ad-hoc manner can easily give the appearance of fiscal discrimination towards traditionally marginalized groups. This opens up the municipality to potential litigation should an individual or group choose to pursue a human rights complaint.

Additionally, municipalities have an obligation to assess the policies of organizations receiving grants to ensure that any public funds distributed are not used in a manner that enables any form of discrimination.

“DiFlavio was right when he said no council he had been a part of ever had someone give blowback like a little kid whose sibling got a sucker and they didn’t. I would guesstimate I’ve covered over 2000 municipal meetings in my 35 years plus in the game. I’ve never heard anything like that either. “

Clarification

In the meeting of Dec. 19, 2022, Coun. Korstanje questions the Town fully funding a substantial request by one demographic for recreational opportunities while denying another from a marginalized demographic. She questioned the absence of a fair and standardized process and it was confirmed we still only use a case-by-case basis, which is a liability.

“While there were some other minor things, the last major one was Charrois’ contention the McNally facility was for a day hospice, not the end-of-life care for which they have a stellar reputation.

[…]

Fact checking: the new build is for the four-bed expansion to 10 beds for end-of life care. It is the original building which will then service ongoing needs for patients and their caregivers right from diagnosis to end-of -life.”

TO BE DEBATED.

From Niagara This Week in 2021 (https://www.niagarathisweek.com/ news-story/10429719-grimsby-s-mcnally-house-hospice-seeking-9-5m-infunding-for-expansion/): “Currently, the hospice centre operates with six beds, but hopes to increase to build a new 10-bed care centre and refurbish its current facility as well.”

If the main priority of this $9.5 million project was to add 4 beds to their existing palliative hospice building as is being otherwise suggested, why construct a whole new building for 10 beds and renovate the established building for “extras such as a family suite so relatives can stay over, more meeting spaces, a day hospice to support those with life-limiting illnesses in the community, and their relatives and carers”. Quote from January 19, 2023 Niagara This Week (https://www.niagarathisweek.com/ news-story/10835688-west-niagarapalliative-care-team-wants-to-provide-the-best-end-of-life-care-for-allof-the-community/).

It is important to note, McNally received a generous donation in 2017 for the acquisition and operation of a “wellness centre”. The neighbouring property was purchased the same year with this intent.

Overall, important details were absent, which clarify the ongoing financial contributions The Town of Grimsby has already made to support McNally Hospice. A Grimsby taxpayer is currently supporting McNally provincially, regionally, and municipally. As recently as six months ago, the Town of Grimsby agreed to refund McNally’s rezoning fees, to a tune of $31,000.

This decision boiled down to fiscal responsibility and implementing a fair and level playing field for every charity or organization, including McNally House that has a financial ask of the Town. The decision is backed by the experience and expertise of the Town’s Director of Finance who recommended establishing criteria before making donations when organizations request funding.

This is standard procedure for most municipalities. McNally House representatives themselves acknowledged that most municipalities already have criteria in place, citing the City of Hamilton as an example. It’s disheartening that the Town did not implement an evaluation policy years ago, as it has allowed some in the community to misrepresent a delay in funding as a denial of funding, which is absolutely not the case.

The additional hard reality is that Bill 23, inflation, and various other financial obligations will be hitting us in the near future. It just makes sense to not only wait for criteria to be established, but also await the budget first. It’s by far the most fiscally responsible thing for Council to do.

Given the above, we certainly hope that you will take the opportunity to clarify your statements in the next edition of the paper.

Respectfully,

Coun. Veronica Charrois, Ward 3 Coun. Jennifer Korstanje, Ward 3

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