Haldimand "Fantino Petition Update"

CH News reported this morning that there is now over 1,400 signatures on these petitions. MP Diane Finley, MPP Toby Barrett, Mayor Trainer and Councillor Grice of Haldimand County have all endorsed this petition with their signatures.

If you have not signed the petition on line and wish to do so, here is the link;
http://www.petitiononline.com/4625FA46/petition.html

The following news story is a more in depth interview with Ken Hewitt;


"New petition calls for Fantino inquiry";

By Tamara Botting, The Sachem
News
Jan 09, 2009

“This is a very significant development Ken has initiated,” said Haldimand Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett.

Ken Hewitt, Caledonia resident, has launched a petition both online and on paper “to request the Premier of Ontario to immediately launch a public inquiry into the actions and decisions made by the Commissioner of the OPP, (Ontario Provincial Police) Julian Fantino, and impose his immediate suspension without pay and upon confirmation of facts, his immediate resignation,” and also, “To request the Premier of Ontario to immediately launch a public inquiry into the actions and decisions made by the OPP with respect to Caledonia over the past three years,” (quoted from online petition).

“It’s really important that people realize this isn’t about Native land claims, or the Native people. The action of the OPP and our governments clearly put Caledonia and Six Nations in a head-on collision,” Hewitt stated Tuesday.

“I don’t want people to read (the petition) and think that we’re just trying to stir the pot. This is an OPP and management issue. This has nothing to do with the officers at the local level, or those who were told to come in and serve from elsewhere. This is a management and leadership issue. This is specifically aimed at that group.”

“I have signed the petition online and the hard copy, as well,” stated Haldimand County Ward 3 councillor Craig Grice.

“It’s part of the psyche of Caledonia and the constituents, for those who feel that the OPP has failed to provide for the residents of Caledonia, and for those in Six Nations.

“The residents of Caledonia don’t feel (Fantino) has stepped up for them. That goes to the animosity of the OPP and the residents of Caledonia in general. It’s a sad state of affairs.”
Grice stressed, “The officers on the front line will take direction from the superior officers; (their orders) comes from the top down.”

“If you’re the leader, you are responsible for the actions of the team, of those who you direct, of your own actions,” said Hewitt.

“We’ve been collecting (signatures) for about a week and a half; since Christmas,” said Hewitt. “The response has been tremendous. An online petition is a barometer; it helps people see the level of interest.”

“The legal petition to present to Queen’s Park has to be a signed petition with a valid signature and address. Currently, we have over 1,000 people signed. Our hope is that when we present it to the legislator, we will have over 10,000 signatures.”

Barrett noted that while citizens can come to Queen’s Park with a petition, they would need an elected official “to formally present a petition and the names before the Ontario Legislative Assembly. They could ask me to do so, or MPP Dave Levac (of Brant). If asked, I would read the petition into the legislature, and sign them as I hand them into the clerk.”

Barrett has invited Hewitt to bring a hard copy of the petition to his levee at St. George Arms in Caledonia on Sunday, January 11 so that local residents will have an opportunity to come and sign it. Hewitt will be there from 1 to 1:30 p. m.

“A petition is a very ancient procedure for people in a parliamentary democracy to influence their own representatives and government; to influence their assembly,” commented Barrett.

“The big reason that I support initiatives like this, calling for an inquiry, is that we are the victims of government paralysis. Next month, we will be going into our fourth year of this paralysis, and that is downright dangerous.

“It is dangerous to drag this out for three years. It creates mistrust. It is destroying the area’s economy, it is destroying the trust in the police, and it is destroying the trust in elected officials,” he added.

“We called for an inquiry two and a half years ago,” said Barrett. “It was formally presented on June 5, 2006. That was right after we watched Argyle Street get dug up by a backhoe.”

“No one is asking the OPP to solve the land claim issue,” stated Grice. “They are responsible to uphold the law and protect those they are paid to; that’s Haldimand County residents.”

“An inquiry is needed at some point in time to ensure the integrity of the position is upheld; to ensure that the residents’ concerns are brought to the forefront of Canada.”

“I wrote the petition, but this is a grass-roots effort and there is no group, per se, but a number of people who have thrown in their hand to support it. It’s the people of Ontario. The petition is growing in Ottawa, Kitchener, North Bay, Thunder Bay, Hamilton, Niagara Falls... our hope is that it will continue to grow across the province,” said Hewitt.

“It really is the people’s agenda.”

http://www.sachem.ca/news/article/158496

Haldimand "Lord's Prayer Petition"

The following petition is from MPP Toby Barrett. I usually get Toby's updates but they have been having some problems with their e-mail software.

I received this as an e-mail from Mayor Trainer and thought that many would be interested in this petition. Just as I was finished writing this blog and ready to post, I received another e-mail from Mayor Trainer that states this;

MAYOR TRAINER would like to recall the message "Lord's Prayer Petition".

I have no idea why Mayor Trainer has recalled this, all I know is that amongst many others that she had e-mailed this to, she e-mailed it to "all" of her Council. I am not even going to ask why!

Regardless I am still posting this information and if you are interested in a paper copy you can e-mail Toby Barrett at toby.barrett@pc.ola.org and they will send you a copy.

The following is the wording of the petition, you will need to download the entire document as the lines etc. are missing. For those that already have my e-mail address, I can send it to you, just let me know.


PETITION

DON’T REMOVE THE LORD’S PRAYER

TO the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

Whereas, the current McGuinty government is proposing to eliminate the Lord’s Prayer from its place at the beginning of daily proceedings in the Legislature, and;

Whereas, The Lord’s Prayer has been an integral part of parliamentary tradition since it was first established in 1793 under Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe.

Whereas, the Lord’s Prayer’s message is one of forgiveness; of providing for those in need of their ‘daily bread’ and of preserving us from the evils we may fall into; it is a valuable guide and lesson for a chamber that is too often an arena of conflict, and;

Whereas, recognizing the diversity of the people of Ontario should be an inclusive process, not one which excludes traditions such as the Lord’s Prayer;

Therefore we the undersigned ask the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to preserve the daily recitation Lord’s Prayer by the Speaker in the Legislature.

Haldimand "Does Your Local Councillor Even give a Damn?"

Well the title says it all!

I am really beginning to wonder what goes through the mind of a Haldimand County Councillor.

We hear on a regular basis that Haldimand doesn't receive it's fair share from upper levels of government. We constantly hear from our local members of Council, that they in fact work hard and do what they can for us. But is this really the "truth"?.

Last month I posted an "On-Line Petition" to the Legislature of Ontario regarding the unfair distribution of the Provincial Gas Tax. I spent many many hours e-mailing "all" Mayors in Ontario asking for their assistance. I received an interesting response back from the Mayor of Oshawa, that basically said "we already receive the gas tax, and we certainly don't want to share it with you"!

Mayor Marie Trainer has sent this to everyone she knows, as well as "ALL MEMBERS OF HALDIMAND COUNTY COUNCIL", in fact she has sent this to her fellow council members more then once. To this date the only person on Haldimand County Council that has signed the on-line petition is Mayor Trainer! Thanks Marie!

So I would ask this......why are the other "6" hard working dedicated council members not signing this petition? Could some of the following be their excuse?.......I am extremely busy........I have not read my e-mails from the Mayor..........I know signing won't make a difference.....It's okay our residents can afford to pay higher taxes to pave their roads............I don't give a damn!!!

I can understand if the individual taxpayer in Haldimand or any other Municipality in Ontario doesn't give a damn, but our elected officials should "give a damn" on our behalf!

The following is the on-line petition if you are interested in making a difference, you just need to click onto the link at the bottom and you can sign the petition. It takes about "2" minutes in total!

To: The Legislature of Ontario

Whereas; The Province of Ontario currently receives 14.7 cents from every litre of Gas sold in the Province;

Whereas; The Province of Ontario currently allocates these funds for roads, bridges and transit;

Whereas; Not all Municipalities in Ontario have public transit;

Whereas; All Municipalities in Ontario however have roads and bridges in grave need of repair, and many Municipalities are under great financial burden do to the lack of funding;

Whereas; There are "445" Municipalities in the Province of Ontario, currently only "108" Municipalities receive gas tax funding from the Province of Ontario;

We the undersigned petition our Provincially Elected Legislators in Ontario to commence a Public Hearing into the collection and disbursement of the Provincial Gas Tax in fairness to "all" Municipalities of Ontario. Sincerely,

http://www.petitiononline.com/donnap/petition.html

Haldimand "Gas Tax Petition on Line"

Haldimand County is one of "337" Municipalities in Ontario that have been left out in the cold by Premier Dalton McGuinty.

The least we can try and do is ask for an inquiry or public hearing into the collection and disbursement of the gas tax revenues in Ontario.

Each one of us that drive and purchase gas in Ontario pay "14.7" cents per litre at the pumps to the Province of Ontario. The Province in return puts this money into the "general" coffer, and then grants only "certain" Municipalities the "gas tax funding". This needs to be investigated, as each Municipality in my opinion deserves and should demand their fair share.

So please pass this on-line petition to as many as you can, with many Municipalities in the same situation that we are, we can make a difference!

To: The Legislature of Ontario

Whereas; The Province of Ontario currently receives 14.7 cents from every litre of Gas sold in the Province;

Whereas; The Province of Ontario currently allocates these funds for roads,
bridges and transit;

Whereas; Not all Municipalities in Ontario have public transit;

Whereas; All Municipalities in Ontario however have roads and bridges in grave need of repair, and many Municipalities are under great financial burden do to the lack of funding;

Whereas; There are "445" Municipalities in the Province of Ontario, currently only "108" Municipalities receive gas tax funding from the Province of Ontario;

We the undersigned petition our Provincially Elected Legislators in Ontario to commence a Public Hearing into the collection and disbursement of the Provincial Gas Tax in fairness to "all" Municipalities of Ontario.

Sincerely,

http://www.petitiononline.com/donnap/petition.html