It's not often that I get really angry about a story printed in the newspapers, but this one really peeved me off. A reporter had an interview with Police Commissioner Julian Fantino in Toronto and the article was printed in the Hamilton Spectator on November 8th 2007. This story was regarding the costs related to the Land Claims in Caledonia. The real issue for Julian Fantino seemed to be the "so called" costs related to Gary McHale's coming to Caledonia.
It is not a secret that Gary McHale and Julian Fantino are not buddy's, and it certainly is not a secret that they are in a legal battle with each other, but keep it too yourselves guys! I am really not interested in either one of these individuals airing their dirty laundry in public, nor their "15 minutes" of fame. Take your fight to where it belongs......in a courtroom!
Gary Mchale is a "private citizen" and Julian Fantino is the "Commissioner " of the OPP. There is a big difference between the two of them and that should not be overlooked.
Julian Fantino should know better than to act and speak in the manner that he did in this interview. This was not the first "attack" that Julian Fantino has engaged himself in, and I am sure it will not be the last. Maybe I will be next, or even you, if you speak out or do something that is "out of line" in this man's book!
In my personal opinion Julian Fantinio is "out of line" for publicly "attacking" "any" citizen of Ontario . His words are "unprofessional", "insulting", "immature", and "intimidating".
Julian Fantino talks about "stirring things up", in my opinion he is the one stirring things up here, as he is the one who would get the press to print whatever he wanted whenever he wanted!
Julian Fantino talks about "interlopers" in this interview, it would be nice to have some clarification on this statement, but that is not going to happen. So I will add my personal take on the real message here........"STAY HOME EVERYONE, NO MORE PROTESTING, WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF ALL OF YOU".
I had another thought as I was writing this article, what if Julian Fantino had the same words come out of his mouth about a "native individual". Now before you crucify me here, I am not being racist, just put a person's name, any name, in the article that I re-wrote below. Julian Fantino would be "crucified", "fired", my point is that Julian Fantino is using Gary McHale's name to send us all a message. "My whole point about this is that we "all" have the right to "assemble peacefully", "voice our opinions", and demand answers!
This was the story from the Spectator;
Says agitators play big role in $32m cost of policing Caledonia November 08, 2007
The Hamilton Spectator Toronto (Nov 8, 2007)
The cost of policing the native land occupation in Caledonia has reached $32 million.
All by himself, the town's infamous "interloper," Gary McHale, has racked up a bill of more than half a million.That's $500,000-plus spent to police his rallies. To shut down his flag-raisings. To watch over his stump speeches. To keep him and some supporters in jail overnight. To deal with a guy who travels from his condo in Richmond Hill every week to "stir things up" in a town that doesn't need to be stirred any more.
That's the way OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino sees it anyway. It takes Fantino just three and a half minutes into an interview at his downtown Toronto office to offer up, unsolicited, the cost of policing McHale. This is at his fingertips. It takes someone else at the OPP to hunt down the $32-million figure.
This is Fantino on the attack.
Anybody who has been following the native protests in Caledonia since February 2006 knows the dispute between self-appointed watchdog McHale, who runs a controversial website critical of the OPP's conduct in the town, and no-nonsense Fantino is nearly as heated as the land-claim issue itself.
The critic and the cop have been trading barbs and legal threats publicly ever since Fantino stepped in as commissioner one year ago.Fantino says the half-million or so the province has spent to deal with McHale thus far doesn't even cover the cost of backfilling positions in other communities where OPP officers have been drawn from to cover his shenanigans in Caledonia."So the costs, in reality, are probably much, much higher," he says."
When (McHale) comes to town, when he agitates and creates problems down there, we obviously create a greater police presence," Fantino says.
McHale, when told of Fantino's comments, had this to say:
"Half a million? I'm surprised it's not higher." The bookkeeper-turned-activist wonders if the OPP have also taken the time to figure out the costs racked up in Caledonia by highly visible native protester Michael Laughing. He says all it would take to shut down his rallies would be for Fantino to sit down and talk with him. "He could save taxpayers money immediately if he agreed to meet with me," he says.
McHale has four lawsuits filed against Fantino, OPP union leader Karl Walsh and the provincial police. Two are for defamation of character, one is for false arrest and false imprisonment and another is for violating his charter rights. They total $3.5 million.
In turn, 22 OPP officers have launched a $7.2-million lawsuit against McHale for defaming them on his website."He can sue all he wants," Fantino says. "Every Canadian can do whatever he wants, I suppose, but that's all mischief making. That's all diverting attention."
Yes, it is. So let's get past all the dollars and cents of this. The cost of having McHale in Caledonia goes beyond money.
Each time McHale stages a production in Haldimand County, everyone leaves the negotiating table to deal with his antics. How is this helpful?
By the way, McHale says he is working on plans for something new in Caledonia, but won't tip his hand.You can bet Fantino won't be happy about that.
"Things have stabilized (in Caledonia) considerably," the commissioner says, "as long as we don't have these interlopers coming in to create problems."Susan Clairmont's commentary appears regularly in The Spectator.
This is my version, Just put in your own name.
The cost of policing the native land occupation in Caledonia has reached
$32 million.
All by (
himself/herself) , the town's infamous "interloper," (
INSERT YOUR NAME HERE ), has racked up a bill of more than (
$500,000.00). That's (
$500,000.00) spent to police (
HIS/HER) rallies, protests, etc.....
To shut down (
HIS/HER) flag-raising's, protests. To watch over (
HIS/HER) stump speeches. To keep (
HIM/HER) and some supporters in jail overnight. To deal with a (
GUY/GAL) who travels from (
HIS/HER) (
PLACE OF RESIDENCE IN ONTARIO) every week to "
stir things up" in a town that doesn't need to be stirred any more.
That's the way OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino sees it anyway. It takes Fantino just three and a half minutes into an interview at his downtown Toronto office to offer up, unsolicited, the cost of policing (
INSERT YOUR NAME HERE). This is at his fingertips. It takes someone else at the OPP to hunt down the $32-million figure.
This is Fantino on the attack.Anybody who has been following the native protests in Caledonia since February 2006 knows the dispute between (
RESIDENTS WHO HAVE THE NERVE TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS), who (
STAND ON STREET CORNERS PEACEFULLY PROTESTING......STAND ON BRIDGES PEACEFULLY PROTESTING.....WRITING LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.......BLOGGING......ETC) regarding the OPP's conduct in the town, and no-nonsense Fantino is nearly as heated as the land-claim issue itself.
Fantino says the half-million or so the province has spent to deal with (
INSERT YOUR NAME HERE) thus far doesn't even cover the cost of backfilling positions in other communities where OPP officers have been drawn from to cover (
HIS/HER) shenanigans in Caledonia. "So the costs, in reality, are probably much, much higher," he says.
"When (
INSERT YOUR NAME HERE) comes to town, when (
HE/SHE) agitates and creates problems down there, we obviously create a greater police presence," Fantino says.
"
Things have stabilized (in Caledonia) considerably," the commissioner says, "
as long as we don't have these interlopers coming in to create problems."
