> Lincoln finalizes purchase of historic BDSS property /Pg 3
> Salute to Blessed Trinity grads Pgs 12-17 > Suspect arrested
Second Charrois IC complaint nets 45-day suspension
By Mike Williscraft NewsNow
After being found to be in violation of six Code of Conduct violations - collectively grouped as one infraction - Grimsby Coun. Veronica Charrois was handed a 45day suspension Monday night.
In a 5-2 vote - with Charrois a no-show at the coun-
cil meeting, and Coun. Reg Freake who filed the Integrity Commission (IC) complaint declaring a conflict - Charrois was given the escalated penalty as it is a second offence for breaching the Code.
The complaints stem from a series of actions taken by Charrois at council meeting, on social media and in email
communications. To read the full report, see: newsnowniagara.com
The IC report dealt with at Monday’s council meeting was clear, the poor conduct has been extensive and it is not getting any better.
“Mr. Maynard observed in Jordan-Charrois that Councillor Charrois’ conduct was reckless but not flagrant,”
said senior investigator Ben Drory, citing the first instance where Charrois was handed a 15-day suspension in an earlier complaint.
“In my view, Councillor Charrois’ conduct herein was both more flagrant and more persistent than the activity in Jordan-Charrois, while still maintaining its reckless nature.”
Drory summarized his findings on the complaints noting Charrois had breached the Code several times.
“Although I did not find “harassment”, it is nonetheless clear that Councillor Charrois routinely commented about GEDAC in ways that implicitly questioned the integrity of all of its members (which includes citizen volunteers), with no factually-defensible basis for having done so,” wrote Drory in the report.
“Councillor Charrois’ September and October 2023 Facebook posts factually misled members of the public about the nature and substance of Council decisions, and improperly tried to distance herself from the Council of which she is indisputably a Member. Councillor Charrois’ Dec. 2, 2023 emails to Members of Council were personal in nature, and arguably disparaged all Members of Council – but particularly Councillor Freake, consider-
ing the history of Councillor Charrois’ accusatory communications towards him as reflected herein.”
Charrois’s lack of contrition was also a factor.
“Councillor Charrois expressed no remorse or regret in this investigation for her conduct, and in fact clearly perceives herself as the victim in these circumstances rather than the perpetrator.”
Because of that, council actually voted on a 90-day penalty. However, that was voted down 4-3 with Jordan, Councillors Baradziej and Lianne Vardy voting in favour while Councillors Jennifer Korstanje, Nick DiFlavio, Delight Davoli and Don Howe voting against.
During the process, Charrois said her comments amounted to free speech and the report was far beyond the prescribed 90-day window for complaint findings, among other issues.
“I simply reject her clear opinion that she believes she should be free from any consequences for her expression – very few people in the world are. Ultimately, a Code of Conduct creates reasonable limits on freedom of expression as mandated by law – and in this case, Councillor Charrois exceeded the limits established by the Town’s Code,” said Drory.
Cool kids
Bartman brothers, Carter, 3 , and Lucas, 5, (front) share a summer day of cool fun at the Hilary Bald Park in Beamsville. McDonald - Photo
BDSS sale to Lincoln finalized
Town of Lincoln has finalized the purchase the former Beamsville District Secondary School (BDSS) site from the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN).
The Town will take ownership in January 2025.
Located at 4317 Central Ave., BDSS has been an integral part of the community since its establishment in 1888.
The facility was closed in 2022 as part of DSBN’s plan to merge the three Niagara West public high school’s into a mega high school, now Niagara West Secondary School.
In September 2021, the Town of Lincoln declared its intent to purchase the BDSS property, and by December 2021, the Letter of Intent was signed.
“Continuing our tradition of leadership, the Town of Lin-
coln is seizing the opportunity to drive positive change for Lincoln and all of West Niagara,” said Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton.
“This site has the potential to become a central location in Lincoln, offering various development possibilities that will contribute to the longterm health and well-being of our community. Council is excited to hear from our residents as public feedback will be crucial in shaping the future of the former BDSS site.”
This creates an important opportunity for the Town to take ownership of a property that is not only centrally located in Beamsville and within walking distance of many amenities and services, but one that is also rich in history. By purchasing the site, the Town will shape its future and we are excited about leading
this transformational project, added Easton.
Town officials say the move perpetuates their commitment to the tagline ‘Preserve, Evolve, Thrive,’ aiming not only to embrace the rich heritage of this site but also to spearhead a new era of community benefits and sustainable growth.
To provide any input on what residents think should be part of the site’s development, they can to to:
Speakuplincoln.ca/BDSS “This presents an important opportunity to take ownership of a property strategically positioned in the heart of Beamsville, with easy access to numerous amenities and services, and a rich historical background. The potential this site holds for our community is truly exciting,” said the CAO Michael Kirkopoulos.
VINELAND NURSERIES
Inspection blitz nets July 3 results
NRP make arrest in Jordan murder case
Continued investigation by detectives with the Niagara Regional Police Service Homicide Unit has led to the identification of a suspect in the death of Jessica Lynn St. Jules.
On Tuesday, July 2, a 20-yearold Hamilton man was arrested and charged with second degree murder, contrary to section 235(1) of the Criminal Code.
In early June, St. Jules’ body was found near the intersection of Nineteenth Street and Seventh Avenue in Jordan.
In reviewing CCTV footage police observed the accused driving a 2018-2020 Dodge Grand Caravan, “Premium Plus SXT” in the Barton Street area in the early morning hours of Saturday, June 8. Detectives would like to thank the media and members of the public for their assistance with this investigation.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact investigators at (905) 688-4111, option 3, ext. 1009482.
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Baradziej asked how the 45-day suspension recommendation was arrived at.
“A lot of these actions provided a lot of negative public feedback, especially in the CBC article that kind of painted a picture that was totally inaccurate of the situation and what was going on.
Given the length of this (the report) and the fact that there are six infractions, I know you’ve gone beyond from 15 to 30 to 45 (days); was the amount of infractions a factor in increasing the penalty?” Baradziej asked Maynard.
“Yes, the number of infractions is a factor in determining the recommended sanctions. In this case, it wasn’t just numerous infractions arising all from one incident but it was numerous incidents over a period of time and all of them were infractions,” replied Maynard.
Baradziej suggested council may want to consider the 15-day suspension option per infraction as opposed to a cumulative penalty.
Maynard said other factors such as the severity of an infraction, the circumstances around which it happened and is remorse evident could make some infractions not weighted the same so issuing the same penalty for all would not be appropriate.
“You have to take other things into con-
text when considering an appropriate penalty,” said Maynard.
Coun. Jennifer Korstanje asked CAO Sarah Kim if council was provided with harassment training after the 2022 election, to which Kim noted no specific program was conducted.
Korstanje also questioned a portion of the report which cited, “He suggested she is a conspiracy theorist and he is worried she will cause some serious damage to people and herself,” asking Maynard if punitive measures “is the right course of action”.
Maynard said the comments were taken in “the intended meaning of that particular statement.”
“I think it meant when you are making broad, sweeping statements about the state of play in terms of politics, the workings of a committee, those types of things about the town without, you know, evidence or proof or solid backing for doing that that you could do reputational damage to those bodies, to the committees, to the Town, to fellow councillors.”
Drory further clarified.
“The recommendations we made are based on Coun. Charrois’ conduct. The findings that were made were a reflection of this was conduct that she undertook that was contrary to the Code of Conduct,” said Drory. Korstanje noted Charrois’ mental state
is noted “several times throughout the report.
Maynard reiterated any comments in the report came from input provided in researching for the file, “it wasn’t out experience directly.”
Davoli went back to the swearing in process and noted all council members agreed to abide by the Town’s rules of conduct.
“We promised to do that. We’ve all been provided with the rules of professional conduct, perhaps not with specific training sessions on it,” said Davoli.
Davoli also recalled training sessions on communications.
“I always remember the phrase...we should not tarnish the brand. We should not tarnish the brand of the Town of Grimsby. Unfortunately, as I recall, I don’t think this particular respondent was actually at that training session.”
“Unfortunately, in this case, we have a number of instances where it appears that actually has taken place.”
Coun. Nick DiFlavio questioned the timeline of the IC complaints which were initiated in November and December 2023.
Maynard noted several factors which dragged out the process including extensions of deadlines and matters related to the complaints needing to go through council meetings.
DiFlavio suggested the order of com-
plaints - since Charrois has already been handed a 15-day suspension from an earlier complaint finding - a progressive penalty may not be appropriate since these current findings may relate to earlier infractions.
“I would disagree with the councillor on that point and I don’t want to get into a debate about it, but if these (reports) had both proceeded at exactly the same time, and you were dealing with both of them tonight, I rather suspect that you would have the exact same results,” said Maynard.
“It would simply say, ‘here is one incident we dealt with and here are six we dealt with and we are recommending this penalty for this one, and this penalty for these ones.”
DiFlavio went back to the timeline again suggesting the lapsed time was too long and he added he believed the penalty recommended this time, the 45-day suspension “seems extreme”.
Maynard noted again extensions were granted to clear the Christmas break and additional extensions when requested for providing answers were requested, two meetings where Maynard had to address council to get clearance to continue an investigation and the “sheer” volume of information related to the litany of infractions all contributed to the lengthy process.
As to the recommended penalty, “Mr
Drory and I are not here to defend our position or defend our recommendations. We are not on trial here. You are welcome to suggest a different penalty to your council,” said Maynard.
Drory cited the wellknown Chiarelli case in Ottawa where a city councillor got a 90day suspension for repeated sexual harassment of city staff.
“The 90 days really sets out a maximum guidelines in terms of what is some of the worst conduct you can imagine,” said Drory.
“The Integrity Commissioner made a recommendation for 90 days. The courts accepted that. That sets the upper bound of what’s appropriate. To get maximum penalty of 90 days there has to be something really, really bad here, so we didn’t approach that in this case. In some of my initial drafts, I can tell you, it was higher than 45 days. It got reduced as time went on.”
“There was a cumulative impact where, in my opinion, it would be inappropriate to ignore the number of different contraventions that took place here.”
Drory noted that the recommended penalty was actually lower because all the complaints were rolled into one file.
Coun. Lianne Vardy noted that having an awareness of what constitutes harassment is not “rocket science”.
“It’s not complex. It’s
pretty much common sense. With all due respect to harassment training, it doesn’t really make a difference when people’s behaviour falls outside those parameters,” said Vardy, noting she had stepped over the line herself in the past.
“You don’t need a course to know you’ve been bad. This collection of incidents has caused reputational harm not only to our Town, our brand, but to members of this (council) and to members of the GEDAC committee. These are residents who are volunteering their time.”
For Vardy, the issue has been an ongoing one.
“It is not uncommon that this councillor makes an assumption that people are doing things behind their back when they’re not,” said Vardy, asking rhetorically how can council get back on track?
For Baradziej, he’s had enough.
“This behaviour has been extremely unprofessional. It’s been conducive of a toxic environment with no signs of improvement, which is the main concern,” said Baradziej.
“We’ve discussed inmeeting decorum issues. We’ve discussed over email issues, social media issues and even in-person issues now trickling down into the committee level. This cannot continue. It’s caused a lot of harm to the Town’s reputation and cost the Town a lot of money.”
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Bell’s West Lincoln council seat vacated
West Lincoln has vacated the council seat of Ward 3 Coun. Terry Bell. Township council informed the public of the vacancy at its June 24 meeting.
“In accordance with section 259(c) of the Municipal Act, the Ward 3 seat on West Lincoln’s Council, formerly occupied by Councillor Terry Bell, is now vacant,” read the municipality’s statement.
While no reason was released for the move, Bell had missed many meetings and has not attended council since February. The move came after three consecutive meetings were missed.
Bell served the municipality as Ward 3 councillor from 2014-2018 and again from 2022-2024.
He demonstrated immense dedication to his constituents, advocating for enhanced recreational programming, economic development and increased public safety and supporting the work of the West Lincoln Age Friendly
Advisory Committee as its council liaison, the press release stated.
“I feel honoured to have been able to work closely with Terry on council and on our Age Friendly Advisory Committee. He truly loves this community. We will miss him around the horseshoe at Council and we wish him all the best,” said Mayor Cheryl Ganann.
Township council and staff extended sincere gratitude to Bell for his outstanding service and contributions during his tenure.
Under the Municipal Act, a municipality has 60 days to either appoint a person to fill the vacancy or pass a by-law requiring a by-election to be held to fill the vacancy. A report will be provided at the July 15 All Committees meeting recommending next steps. In the 2022 municipal election Mark Wanders finished third in the Ward 3 voting with 693 votes, while Clarence Vanderhout was fourth with 525. Neither have council experience.
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Music at The Manor
It was the perfect Sunday afternoon for a concert at Nelles Manor Museum with wellknown local musician Michelle Hedley performing on the lawn. The concert series that will continue Aug. 5 with the Shari Vandermolen Trio, and Aug. 18 with Natalie Walker. McDonald – Photo
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Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School CLASS OF 2024
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Canada needs to build on what’s right: reader
Dear Editor, I just finished reading your editorial in this week’s paper. I just had to let you
know I agree completely with everything you said, I only hope our great country can look forward and can
continue to build on what is right, as you said in your article.
Maureen Farrington 57 year Grimsby resident
Let’s see constructive policy, not hot air
Dear Editor, The central point in the editorial of July 4, 2024 titled, “Canada needs positive, forward-thinking deserves emphasis.
From our politicians, let’s see constructive, thoughtful policies that unite us, leading the way to a more caring, prosperous, and civil society.
Shallow acrimonious self serving politics can promote political dysfunction. Our southern neighbour may provide a cautionary tale. Phil Conklin
Column strikes chord with writer
Dear Editor, Seriously, I couldn’t have written that edi-
torial better myself. You are right on! I sure hope people take
heed to what you have said. It is scary stuff in the USA and it is even more scary if Canada follows close behind! Keep doing what you’re doing, Mike. People respect your way of thinking.
Joanne Dykstra Grimsby
OBITUARIES
BALAZOVIC, Joseph John
We are sad to announce the passing of Joseph John Balazovic on June 30, 2024, but we are comforted knowing that he is now reunited with his loving wife Lavina of 44 years who passed in May 2005. Loving father to Blake – Karen Balazovic and Leanne – Stewart McKinney. He was loved by his grandchildren Lauren, Jordan, Madison and Mitchell. Joseph will be missed by his brother John. He is predeceased by his parents: Vito and Mary and brother Michael.
Joseph was born in Toronto to Vito and Mary. At a young age he took a passion to baseball which his talent led him to play for the Cleveland Indians (now Cleveland Guardians) system as an Outfielder. He then went onto teachers’ college to become a high school teacher for a private school in Toronto as a Math and Physics teacher. He retired his successful career in sales for a top electric large motor manufacturing company out of UK, Brook Hansen. Joe was a kind, patient and extremely positive man who always saw the best in everyone. His family was always front and center of his life. He coached many of his kid’s baseball and hockey teams, was an active member of the Sokol Catholic Athletic Association with many of his childhood lifelong friends and was always present and extremely proud and supportive of his 4 grandchildren. Joe loved to garden. He always had a project, and he was always moving - his motto was ‘There will be time to rest’. Joe will be fondly remembered and missed greatly.
Cremation has taken place. There will be a memorial mass to honor Joseph on Wed June 10th at the Vineland Chapel of Tallman Funeral Homes (3277 King St., Vineland) at 11:30am with a reception to follow. A special thank you to the staff at United Mennonite Home for their care. In lieu of flowers, please honor Joseph with a donation to Alzheimer Society.
Online condolences at tallmanfuneralhomes.ca.
LAMPMAN, Lorne Murray,
U.E..
Born December 26th, 1933 in Caistor Centre, ON. Called home to be with our Lord on Wednesday July 3rd , 2024 in his 91 st year.
Survived by daughters Karon Lampman (Warren) Niggli and Alison Marie Lampman (R. Nigel Wales). Grandfather of Kristen and Kevin Lampman-Wales.
Predeceased by Shirley Roma (Culleton), his loving wife of 56 years, parents Edna May (Lymburner) and Gilbert Lampman, brothers Lloyd (Della), Harley (Jean), Harry (Eleanor) and sisters Edith Jacobs (Basil), Lily Hewitt (John), Ruby Topp (Fred), Violet North (Joseph) and Muriel Bent (Mark).
A private family funeral service was held, interment at Bethel Cemetery. Arrangements were entrusted to Merritt Funeral Home, Smithville.
Murray and Shirley operated Caistor Collision Auto Body for 30 years and together they enjoyed performing country and gospel music.
LUCIEN, Joseph Rene
July 23, 1945June 27, 2024
It is with great sadness we announce the sudden passing of Lucien. He passed away in West Lincoln Memorial Hospital with peace and dignity after a short but fierce battle with cancer. He loved life and lived it the way he wanted.
Predeceased by parents Joseph Ludger Rene and Ann (Hnatyshyn) Rene and a brother Roderick Rene.Survived by his loving partner of 55 years, Dennis Rodney Tuck. Lucien will be greatly missed by his much loved fur babies Geronimo and Angel.
A devoted promoter of goodwill toward so many charities in his community he will be missed by neighbors, friends everywhere and his adopted family in Smithville. Details for a celebration of life will be announced when arrangements are complete. Arrangements entrusted to Merritt Funeral Home Inc.
MUELLER, Irene Johanna
Irene Johanna Mueller passed away peacefully into the arms of God on June 29,2024. Reunited with her loving husband Wilfried and her beloved foster son Aaron, her parents Magdalene and Hans, as well as many other family members and friends she held close to her heart. Dear mother to Juergen (Pam), Uli (Joanne), Christiane (Christopher) and Tina (Jason). Proud Oma of Jason (Syrah), Andrew (Sonia), Ryan (Jenny), Matthew (Taylor), Robert (Jessica), Natasha, Cassandra and Tyler. Great Oma to Chase, Nathan, Mason, Kaiden, Cameron, Jameson, Everleigh, Luca, Isaac, Ira, Tino and Tobias. Special aunt to Matthias, stepmother to Peter, and Oma to Nicole and Jamie. Irene and Wilfried were devoted foster parents for nearly 40 years. They touched many lives with their love and kindness. Irene loved gardening, music and having coffee and cookies with family, friends and neighbours. She was a faithful member of St Ann’s Community Church for 50 years. She loved singing in the choir, taking part in the “Prime Time” seniors’ group, and in the earlier years, caring for the children in the nursery during Sunday School. She will be sadly missed by all.
A Celebration of Life will be held at St. Ann’s Community Church on July 13, 2024, at 11:00 am, followed by light refreshments for family and friends. A private family interment will take place prior to the Celebration of Life.
If desired, In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Irene may be made to the Niagara Children’s Centre
Online condolences at tallmanfuneralhomes.ca.
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KIELSTRA, Margi
Margi Kielstra, aged 90, had her longed-for entry into God’s presence, where she went to be on 1 July. There, she joins her husband of 50 years, Allan Kielstra, and their son, Terry.
Central to her life was her role as wife and mother, one she filled with love and care. She leaves behind sons and daughters-in-law Allan and Jeannie, Ron and Ingrid, and Paul and Julia. She also found great joy as grandmother – her preferred nom de guerre was “Mutti” – to eleven grandchildren, and, more recently, as great-grandmother to ten. Outside the household, Margi had a richly varied life. Raised in the occupied Netherlands – an early memory was sneaking male relatives needed food and supplies as they hid from Nazi impressment – she came with her family to Canada in the 1950s. A brief spell as a maid gave her access to a large library, which helped her improve her English and started a voracious consumption of English literature from lowbrow to the classics.
Soon after, Margi qualified as a Registered Nursing Assistant working in mental health and later elder care. She set this aside to focus on a then young and growing family. After the children matured, she and Allan became partners in the Beamsville accounting firm of Charles P Dorland & Associates. At “Charlie’s” she had a particular knack for reassuring clients often afraid of the Byzantine complexities of government forms.
Margi was also active in the community in particular with various church groups and, for a number of years, led Sunday afternoon services at Linhaven Long Term Care Home.
Friends and family met for a celebration of Margi’s life on Friday, July 5. If desired, memorial donations may be made to a charity of your choice.
OBITUARIES
KELLAND, Robert David (Rob)
August 7, 1951-July 7, 2024
It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Robert David Kelland (Rob) on Sunday, July 7, 2024, at the age of 72, at his home. Born in Uxbridge, Ontario on August 7, 1951, Rob was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. Rob is survived by his wife of 43 years, Bonnie (nee Cadman). He will be deeply missed by his daughter Andrea (Scott) and his cherished grandchildren Ben and Briar. He is also survived by his brothers Rick (Deb) and Mike (Kim). Rob was predeceased by his brother Barry (Jean). Rob will be fondly remembered by his many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. He proudly worked as a public school teacher with the Hamilton Wentworth Board of Education for 35 years. Beyond his professional career, Rob made a lasting impact in his community by coaching with the Grimsby and Stoney Creek Minor Hockey U17 program. In retirement, he found joy in working in his garden, traveling to Key West, and most of all, spending quality time with his family, especially his grandchildren. Family was everything to Rob. Visitation at STONEHOUSEWHITCOMB FUNERAL HOME, 11 Mountain Street, GRIMSBY (905-945-2755) on Saturday, July 13, 2024, from 1 p.m. until time of Funeral Service at 2 p.m. Cremation to follow. The family requests that any donations in Rob’s name be made to the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital Foundation or McMaster Children’s Hospital.
www.smithsfh.com
REINHARDT, Hermina Berendina
Surrounded by the love of her family, Hermina (Mina) Reinhardt passed away on her terms on Saturday, July 6, 2024. Predeceased by her husband Sherwood Reinhardt and son Reese. Survived by her daughters Nicky (Dave) Collens, Henny (Dave) Olesiuk, Yvonne (Jerry) Morrison and Diane (Tina) VanStroe. As a mother, Mina was a guiding light offering wisdom, encouragement and unconditional strength. As an oma, she nurtured and embraced her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As a friend, she loved you unconditionally, regardless of who you were. She either liked you or you were dismissed. She will be greatly missed by Anna and Joanne, her confidents and all of her Legion friends. Mina was born in The Netherlands and moved to Canada and raised her children with strength and love. Mom, we are so proud of who you were and proud of all your accomplishments. Our job was to share your spirit to everyone who knew you. Although she may no longer be with us in person, her spirit will live on through her family and the countless lives she has touched. Cremation has taken place. Visitation at STONEHOUSE-WHITCOMB FUNERAL HOME, 11 Mountain Street, GRIMSBY (905-945-2755) on Thursday, July 11, 2024, from 3-5 p.m. where the Service of Remembrance at will be held on Friday, July 12, 2024 at 11 a.m. Interment to follow at Grimsby Mountain Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Regional Adult Day Program Niagara, where mom was a volunteer for over 30 years. www.smithsfh.com
OBITUARIES
TOMPKINS, Miles James
On Wednesday, July 3, 2024, Miles, in his 76th year, passed away peacefully at home with his loving wife of 41 years by his side. He will be dearly missed by his wife Mary; his father-in-law, Jim Mahy (late Jean); sister-in-law, Robin (late Cameron); his nieces, Kerri Evershed (Adam), Julie Sharpe (Dave), and their children. He is survived by his children, Miles and Kelly, and his siblings, Thelma, Michael, Virginia, Joanne, Maureen, Richard, Gerard, and Carmel. Miles was predeceased by his parents, Bernard and Johanna; and his siblings Fabian, Sonny and Colleen.
Miles was a dedicated member of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers for over 50 years, retiring in 2009. His service is a testament to his commitment and hard work throughout his career.
Cremation has taken place. A celebration of Miles’ life will be held at a later date. If desired, memorial contributions to a charity of your choice would be sincerely appreciated by the family. Arrangements entrusted to STONEHOUSE -WHITCOMB FUNERAL HOME, Grimsby, 905945-2755.
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Time to move
on
Sunny Sunday
It was hot and it was sunny, but event-goers at Sunday’s concert on the lawn at Nelles Manor Museum stayed cool. The four-event music series hosted at the manor will continue August 5 with the Shari Vandermolen Trio, and Aug. 18 with Natalie Walker. McDonald - Photo
Lincoln starts “race” for Beamsville reinvention
You cannot get to a finish line without first running the race and Town of Lincoln has gotten out of the blocks and is now at the beginning of a new, lengthy process to refine what will be a polished gem one day in the former Beamsville District Secondary School.
The Town announced it had closed its deal for the site on Tuesday, so they are off and running now.
There will be lots of community input and consultation as Town officials cook up a recipe - hopefully for success - for a quality new town hall, parking, green space and more. It is hoped they can learn from Grimsby’s Downtown Reimagined highjacking and keep the community’s collective eye on the ball.
This is a very, very good thing for Beamsville and will set the municipality up to truly reinvent its downtown. M.W.
I read the 71-page Integrity Commissioner report last week when it came out as part of the Grimsby council agenda.
There is a lot to unpack.
It’s not new stuff.
Painfully, as has been the rule rather than the exception with Grimsby council for the last fiveplus years, it is like a broken record.
For four years the community endured the G5, a tragic error of a CAO and countless instances of wasted time, energy and money.
When the election of 2022 came, clean sweep. All the negativity and personal agenda council members and wannabe disrupters were swept into the dust bin of candidates.
There was incredible relief and optimism when this new group was sworn in - both on the new council itself and in the community as a whole.
That optimism started to fade by last fall and now it is but a distant memory.
In the story I did not get deeply into the antics of Coun. Veronica Charrois. As noted there, you can go to our website to read the IC report in its entirety.
Much of the instances cited have already been covered in NewsNow’s pages, so it all seemed redundant.
It seemed more important to expand on the IC’s
comments and council’s dealing with the matter.
The comments from Coun. Jennifer Korstanje that, perhaps, harassment training may be a better way to go than a punitive punishment for multiple Code of Conduct breaches, and Coun. Nick DiFlavio’s “she’s a newbie councillor” do not serve council or their constituents well.
It was comical for DiFlavio to pull the old legal trick when he questioned the timing of dates with respect to the first 15-day penalty levelled against Charrois for comments made regarding the mayor and this set of multiple infractions.
He speculated, if some of these instances occurred first, should and escalated penalty be recommended?
The IC dismissed that entire line of questioning, as he should have.
DiFlavio, on many occasions, can be viewed chatting quietly with Charrois and passing information,
showing scribblings, then Charrois would light into someone.
It is hard to get by all the occurrences which have unfolded in a variety of places, but let’s do that for a second.
For me, the bottom line is there no understanding of what’s actually happening, the effect her comments and actions have had on council, staff and the community as a whole. On top of ALL that - and that’s a ton - there is no “remorse or regret”. None. Zero.
I saw that first hand two weeks ago when Charrois came to my office upset that she was finding out information she believed she should know before others was being printed in these pages first.
Problem there was, the issue which generated the visit was a provincial matter, issued by MPP Sam Oosterhoff. It included a quote from Mayor Jeff Jordan, as is always the case, but that info would have been embargoed until Oosterhoff made the details public. There was no side-stepping of councillors or intentional deception. After showing Charrois the release and 10 minutes of explanation, I was no further ahead. With all that in mind, and I don’t make this suggestion lightly, knowing that even more is coming down the pipe, it is time for Coun. Charrois to resign.
MIKE WILLISCRAFT
Delivered via Canada Post
Dear Editor;
Poilievre could be more stately, but Trudeau not an option: reader Letters
I would like to see Poilievre be statelier and act more like a Prime Minister in waiting, but to say that Trudeau is better grounded in reality is just not true. This is a guy who believes that running an annual deficit of 40 billion dollars and doubling the national debt is fiscally responsible.
This a guy that believes there is no business case for selling liquid natural gas when Japan and Germany have asked Canada for a supply agreement that would have brought billions of dollars into our economy. The revenue would be available to fund healthcare and other social programs. These countries will now have to find their energy from other countries like Saudi Arabia that do not have Canada’s track record for producing the cleanest energy possible and working toward net zero emissions.
This is a guy who believes that spending more money on
government programs will fill the housing gap when the parliamentary budget officer says Canada needs to build 181,000 more homes per year through 2030 than it currently does. The reality according to Jean-François Perrault, chief economist at Scotiabank it’s not even clear that you’d be able to increase the pace of construction given the current labour and material shortages.
This is a guy who believes he has raised Canada’s standing on the world stage yet his former foreign affairs minister Marc Garneau state “Unfortunately Canada’s standing in the world has slipped, in part because our pronouncements are not always matched by a capacity to act or by actions that clearly demonstrate that we mean what we say. We are losing credibility.”
This is a guy who believes he has all the answers. Garneau continues “The prime
minister’s aloofness led me to conclude that he did not consider my advice useful enough to want to hear from me directly relying instead on his staff” And his former finance minister Bill Morneau wrote that Trudeau “had an inability, or lack of interest, in forging relationships with me, and as far as I could tell, with the rest of his cabinet.” He also wrote that in the image obsessed Trudeau government “policy rationales were tossed aside in favour of scoring political points.” Clearly image trumped reality.
I could go on an on. I did not even touch on the foreign interference file or SNC Lavalin.
With respect to Poilievre not speaking on core polices, no political party puts out a detailed platform more than a year before an election, however you may have missed the following: a reduction in personal income taxes, a complete review of our tax system which is many years overdue, an Act
that would require any new spending to be offset by a reduction in current spending in an effort to balance the budget, bail reform, tying municipal infrastructure to housing starts and repealing Acts that have targeted our energy sector so that the necessary infrastructure can be built.
If Trump gets elected in the US, Trudeau will campaign against “Trump” saying Poilievre is just like him and many Canadians will get sucked into that belief. I trust that you will be more grounded in reality than Trudeau is in this regard.
Darryl
Knechtel Grimsby
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