Haldimand "Fool me Once, Fool me Twice"

What is really going on in McGuinty’s camp? I must admit that I totally missed this "News Release" from the Canadian Press, as I was busy sitting on a "bridge" in Dunnville for 3 days!

Thursday (June 28th), Mayor Trainer called me regarding my "bridge sit in", and in our conversation it came up about the investigation into Fantino’s e-mail that was sent to Haldimand County Council Members in April of 2007.

Mayor Trainer had mentioned to me that the investigator had called her in the afternoon (Thursday June 28th) and asked for some "clarification" before he sends in his report! My comment to the Mayor was, haven’t you heard? Fantino has been cleared!

Now what was very interesting about this conversation was that the same morning (Thursday June 28th) there was a news release from Monte Kwinter’s office that had cleared Fantino of any wrong doing. The problem with this was that the investigator according to Mayor Trainer hadn’t yet completed his report, and in fact hadn’t even formally handed in his report to Monte Kwinter! Yet the news is already "old news".

Below is the news release from Chinta Puxley, which says it all!

Fantino cleared in controversy over Haldimand council e-mail
Chinta Puxley / canadian press Local News - Friday, June 29, 2007 Updated @ 9:04:08 AM

Ontario's police commissioner didn't breach the Police Services Act or cross the line when he wrote an angry e-mail to local politicians grappling with an ongoing aboriginal occupation in Caledonia, the province's community safety minister concluded Thursday.

Monte Kwinter told The Canadian Press he's reviewed the complaints his office received about the controversial e-mail sent by Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino in April, and has determined they didn't have any substance.

Although the local council wrote a letter to Kwinter about the e-mail, he said no one directly involved with the correspondence formally lodged a complaint.

"I have complete confidence in Commissioner Fantino, and I am dismissing outright all of the complaints filed against him," Kwinter said in an interview.

"I commend the commissioner for doing an excellent job under very difficult circumstances."

The investigation was sparked by complaints following an e-mail Fantino wrote to members of Caledonia council and senior bureaucrats in April. In the e-mail, Fantino suggested the town was encouraging divisive rallies against the policing of the ongoing aboriginal occupation there, and he threatened not to renew his force's contract to police the area.

The e-mail also suggested Fantino would back any lawsuit brought against the town by an injured officer.

Kwinter hired an outside investigator to look at the complaints and report back with private legal advice rather than referring the investigation to the ombudsman. Kwinter wouldn't discuss the advice, citing solicitor-client privilege, but said he took it into account when making his final decision.

Fantino has declined to comment on the e-mail, except to say that "the truth always comes out."

On Thursday, Fantino said he has been "totally preoccupied" with today's aboriginal day of action and hadn't been told of the decision. "I'm not going to worry about it," Fantino said. "I've got other things to deal with right now. It was a non-event to begin with."

The decision came as a shock to Haldimand County Mayor Marie Trainer, who said she spoke to the outside investigator twice Thursday and was told he hadn't finished his final report for Kwinter.

The decision to exonerate Fantino is "100 per cent wrong," Trainer said. "

This e-mail was certainly inappropriate," she said. "

I can't understand where they are coming from at all. It just baffles my mind. Why do they want to slap us in the face continually?"

Fantino should at least be disciplined for threatening elected officials, Trainer said. "It's inappropriate for him to try to silence anyone."

"Well I know that I am also shocked", not so much by the "outcome" of the "apparent" investigation, but by the "waste" of yet more of our tax dollars, and we are being "boldly lied too yet again"!

What has happened to the Promise of "Accountability and Transparency"?

You see the way I look at it is this "outside" investigator was "hired" to do a job, he hadn’t even "completed" his task, and low and behold he is "paid"?

What exactly was he "paid" for? He hadn’t completed his "investigation".

This tells me that this "government" of ours had no "intention" on even listening to this "investigator", or in reading his report, so once again "we" have paid for services "not yet rendered"!

This Government should be "ASHAMED".