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Times Advocate, 1993-05-12, Page 2111111118 -Advocate , May 12 ,1993 iona Trac Murray Taylor resigns as mayor CLINTON - Murray Taylor has resigned from his position as mayor for the Town of Clinton. Taylor has had an outstanding wrongful dismissal suit pending against the town since before his 1991 election as mayor. The suit was launched after he was fired from his seven-year position as bylaw enforcement officer, building inspector and property standards officer for the town. Taylor was not in attendance at the council meeting last Monday night when the resignation was announced, it was reported in the Clinton News Record. Parkhill minister goes to prison PARKHILL - With escamice- sere about ' spicable"::oot duct ringing sin !ids :oars , the #ironer Anglican :minister for :Dill, Ailsa Craig and Brinsley.tt es was escorted tosjailsiastsFri- day,.it was reported:in:tthe Park- hill Gazette. Justice Jeffery Fiburserttenced Wayne Taylor to six months in a provincial institution and to three years probation for the sex- .ual exploitation of a 15 -year-old boy in the church rectory in Parkhill. Taylor will be eligible for release ' after serving two months incustody. Justice Flinn voicedhis frus- taation with a legal system that s him poaetiess "in the area that is: -most important - re- habilitation :of ,.the accused. I cannot arderrtmument and un- fortunately i*mnot in a position to send him to a place where he could get treatment." NDP social cnntract mss less money -for Vit. Marys ST..MARYS • -Premier Bob Rae's .social contract and expen- diture oanttol:plan, will be felt locally.-as,St.'Marys can expect less provincial dollars toward this year's budget. Early figures released by the Associated Municipalities of Ontario and distributed to coun- cilors last Tuesday show that the four separated towns in the province, including St. Marys, face total provincial cuts of $1.298,000, it was reported in the Joumal Argus. No decision bas been made as yet regarding the distribution of the reductions among the munic- ipalities. Zero percent increase not possible GODERICII - Goderich Town Council is reneging on a zero in- crease budget, following the province's announcem t that unconditional grants wU be cut over. the next three years. The general municipal levy will increase 1.7 percent, in an attempt to recoup, in part, \ $85,00) lost through provincial budget cuts. The tax increase will raise about $47,000, with the remain- der coming from cuts in the mu- nicipal budget. Department heads will hold a series of meetings to reduce the budget $33,000, it anus warted in the Sigtzal-Star. rm. aiwittei �,.1o�IIRa.w1w� HURON PARK - The campaign to save Call Iia College and adjacent facilities continues as the Friends of Centralia are attempting to set up a meeting with Ontario Agriculture Minister Elmer Buchanan. "We want to talk to him directly to discuss possible options to the clo- sure, said Barb Shipley. a dairy farmernd former teacher at the college. Shipley was one or more than -40 concerned staff, alumni, business repre- sentatives, farmers and area residents along with local politicians that met last Thursday. The meeting was set up as a result of last Monday's rally at Centralia tlege which had more than 550 people in attendance. t the end of the rally people where asked to sign up if interested in join- ing a working committee. On Thursday, George Thompson was named co-ordinator of the working committee. The Clinton resident was a former teacher at the college -and is con- cerned about the economic impact the closure will have particularly on ag- riculture. The group will be working out of office space that was donated by Ste- phen Township in addition to a phone and fax machine. - The Ontario government announced the closures on April 25 as part of cost cutting measures to reduce a growing deficit. The closure is expected to take effect May 1, 1994. The group is scheduled to meet again on Thursday. Saving GB 'trees GRAND BEND How about those trees? A proposed subdivision on Lake Road, which will be called 'Cap- tains' Quarters, continues =to be a topicsof wide discussion for Grand Bend Council. Monday night they once again listened to -more information re- gardingtree'preservation which has been initiated by former property owner Don Southcott. He sold the property:to.the Dev- lon Group who is:looking:to gild single family .dwellings :in :the wooded area. However, Southcott and the Ontario Municipal Board is delaying the subdivision somewhat - use Southcott feels the 3rees should be saved. "As per request from the OMB, the Devion Group has to submit a plan to the municipality," said Grand Bend deputy -mayor Cam Ivey on the group's tree preserva- tion plan. Southcou has asked for a $3,000 deposit per lot to see'that the trees are preserved. "Tree preservation plans have been -part of the agreement. Mr. Southcou is -looking for some assu- : ante," said Grand Bend Adminis- - limos Pard Turnbull. As a -re cult of the g:discus- siorts.about the nmaes,`lhe =village, according to Ivey Monday, will be establishing a tree preservation pro- . .w...-.7mmul ,, 11111110404eltririch - Exeter "I'feel that even though it may be a necessity it would be better handled if itwere in- cluded in our tax base. take the GST, this tax too should have been left buried in the eyes of the public, to main- tain municipal harmony" Marg Taylor - Exeter I don't think it's a bad idea. You have to control garbage somehow, and I think this is pretty reasonable. Hazel Oberland - Exeter "This new system is go- ing to encourage more lit- tering. People will put it in parks and other plac- es. Council should en- courage more recycling instead." bVOw -fir "1 think it's -agood thing. I don't know if it' -s the total answer, but I'think It will take a "ful l generation to -du- :cate-the'people, and 'for peo- ple to'accept It." Sleerry'Thompson -mer "i don't agree with it. Our 'home 4s in .Usbome Township but'jwe,stlll have to partici- pate-ln'it. We -should be able to'umbur;garbage. I think we're:going-to find a tot of garbage . on -sideroads be- cause people :don't want to pay for the tags." Slaw first on stand at inquiry Continued from introduction, front page Monday morning's questioning began wlth-mayot'Bruce Shaw, un- der oath, on the witness stand. 'Da- vid Brown began questioning on ..behalf of the ministry, and largely tried to construct a.clrronology of the events that -led -up to the Sep- tember 7 decision to&elhe chief. •When the decision to fee chief Sack Harkness was made, the police services board decided to change the locks on the police station. Shaw told the inquiry that the board was concerted about the security of documents in the police station, and firearms stored there. "We felt it was not advisable he [Harkness] have access to these arms," said Shaw. •Brown asked Shaw about his and council's views on the replace- ment of the old town police com- miuec with ,the provincially - appointed police services board in January 1992. He asked if Shaw felt the committee arrangement was beuer. "The thinking of most of us who are on council was the finances of police forces across the province was geeing out of hand," said Shaw, adding that the concerns were strictly about finances and that those who raise the money through taxes should have control over expenditures. Drinkwalter noted the debate on the issue is still alive "or at least it was yesterday in the City of Toron- to". •Brown asked Shaw if he shared Harkness' view that the money spent on police services bad fallen behind other town depaMrents. "I understand exactly what he's [Harkness] saying. We're falling behind," said Saww. "But from a taxpayer's point of view, the Town of Exeter was being more frugal in its administration of police forces." •Shaw told the inquiry that for the first year Harkness was on the job after his appointment in July 1990, he was impressed with the new chief. "1 had nothing but the highest re- gard for the man," admitted Shaw, adding an evaluation interview in 1991 also went well. "1 was very, very pleased with what 1 heard...alt hough the chief told me 1 had no right to do that." Brown asked by whom Harkness expected to be evaluated on his job performance. "1 presume the ministry, someone from Toronto," said Shaw. •Harkness asked for a salary in- crease in 1992 ".which was cwn- pletely out -of line with what vis going on.ih the rest of the workisin the,ieew.:af-alte board," Shaw -told ilieindittrys '14:14W I think it was in the neighbour- hood of 15 percent," he said. Harkness provided the board with evidence of chiefs' safeties across the province, :but !the board .coun- tered with comparisons with other Huron County chiefs, :.paticuiarly with the Clinton chief. "What Jack's words were 'Pm twice the man he is'," Shaw said the board was told. Shaw said Harkness was so upset by .the salary negotiations he didn't come to work the next morning. The board agreed to a higher sala- ry, or the chief was free to leave. Harkness eventually agreed. •Drinkwalter asked what aspect of the chiefs contract bothered Shaw. The mayor said a disability Clause agreeing to top up -the chiefs compensation package to full salary up until r.urement age bothered him, but was approved by the other members of the police services board. •Shaw was also asked about the dispute over the status of police secretary Marlene Taylor. Shaw said Taylor was hired as a confi- dential secretary to the former chief, and that the former police committee wanted her to remain a civilian employee and opposed her membership in the police associa- tion. "The previous chief...wanted con- fidentiality, that certain information not be passed on to the officers, and .ifs>ihe-were a member of the [offi- cer'sJ,association, that confidential- ity might be lost," said Shaw. int Shaw stildllie-townifINWEN against taking Taylor's case to court, deciding instead to use the money for her salary. -Returning to the.chiefs termina- tion, Brown asked -4 it was stan- dard practice to .fire ;an employee without an ettpianation. Shaw said itwasn't, but that the board was act- ing soar the advice of a labour rela- tions expert. 4 •Shaw said the police committee began to change its view of Hark- ness' performance by August 1991 after a resident complained he was having trouble dealing with the chief. Another inkling, said Shaw, was when he learned Harkness had threatened to charge police commit- tee members under the old Police Act "for being late for a meeting", and later threatened Dorothy Chap- man with charges of "interfering with the operation of the force, even though she was chairing the police committee. Shaw said an October 1991 meet- ing with Harkness to discuss the committee's concerns fell on deaf ears. •When asked what those con- cerns were, Shaw said the public had come to perceive Harkness as "arrogant and frankly doesn't give a damn"; he was hired as a working chief, but was not taking shifts on the sweet; that the police station was being closed to the public dur- ing lunch hours; and that the police m11.040 Y , end r efandoits, in foe Civilian Commis Sion .gquiry ere police se►vi09S : 4n fOlabliRs !Jeff), Sharon Wurikoiind ,hate Shaw. secretary was being paid one:hour overtime to ,process:iesch/purl lug :ticket. , "We couldn't-believe.tdat," Said Shaw, adding that the committee was told she was too busy during the day to process the tickets. •Shaw told the inquiry the com- 'mittee's concerns were not docu- mented because it was hoped the discussion would remain "infor- mal". "The hope was this would all be over .at the end of the night and it would be back to business as usu- al," said Shaw. •Shaw said in early 1992, Hark- ness refused to attend a meeting of town department heads to discuss budget concerns with town council. "He ended, very effectively, any communications with the town in late 1991," said Shaw. •When the new police services board took over in January 1992, Shaw said he did not discuss any previous disputes with the chief with the new board members. •Shaw said Harkness three times accused town council of being "out of touch" with reality for not realiz- ing the town's growth rate. •On lune 30, 1992 a meeting was arranged to try and resolve some disputes with the politic chiefut Shaw said when the board mein- bers arrived at the police station with town administrator Rick Hun- dey, they found two representatives from the Minisuy of the Solicitor General present. The two agreed to leave when told the board wanted to deal with a personnel matter in- ternally. Shaw said the meeting turned into a personal attack by Harkness on Rick Hundey. "I was absolutely dumbfounded with the documentation, the materi- al directed against Rick," said Shaw. "He [Harkness] lit into Rick with such a harangue that all of us were shocked," said Shaw. "He accused Rick of everything...if you know Rick, he's a kind decent man who wouldn't hurt anything." "All of us wished the two gentle- men from Toronto had been there," said Shaw. -"At this point the officers are al- most in a state of rebellion," Shaw told the inquiry, about the into nal relations at the police station. Shaw assured the inquiry that the officers arc acting as profcssiutnals, and arc continuing their dunes 'but they are not happy, to a ran". •Brown asked why documents re- ferred to Harkness being fired by the board as of September 7, 1992, was "no longer on- duty" by Sep- tember 14, and by .September 17 was "suspended from, duty 'on ala- picion of misconduct". Shaw said at that time, all affairs of the police board were being con- ducted though legal counsel. .Brown asked why Harkness was not notified of these developments. "Did you abandon all this to your lawyer, or did you keep track of it?" asked Brown. "We probably abandoned it to the lawyer," said Shaw. •Legal counsel for Jack Harkness, J.R. Caskey spent much of the af- ternoon session's cross examination of Shaw by entering numerous doc- uments igto.evidence. He included the police board's oath of office, the board's procedural bylaws, and a large binder full of material pre- pared by Harkness for each mem- ber of the police board. "Did you read it?" asked Caskey. "No," replied Shaw. "With all due respect, I have so much materi- al coming across my desk...to be frank, 1 didn't have the time or.in- clination to go through it all." "May I make that [the binder] the next exhibit," Caskey asked the in- quiry, "Arc you going io ask us to read it?" joked Drinkwajteti. -Caskey also included the job de- scription of the town administrator Rick Hundey, which described the police chief .as a town deparunent subsud nate. "I; that the way the CAO [chief administrative officer] thought of the chief of police, as a subordi- nate?" asked Caskey. "No, he doesn't think of anyone as a subordinate," replied Shaw, but agreed that point was a concern to Harkness. -Caskey also entered into evi- dence documents describing town council's opposition to the replace- ment of the former police commit- tee with the provincially -appointed police services board. He also doc- umented the dispute over the pur- chase of the 1992 cruiser. Caskey referred to an item in the police board • minutes in which Shaw went un record as disapprov- ing of ccunrttertts made by Harkness criticizing town council for under- mining the police force. Shaw said he wanted to make sure his dis- pleasure with the chiefs attack was recorded. "So this was your paper trail?" asked Caskey. "No, if I were conducting a paper nail, I'd have 14 volumes too," said Shaw, referring to the documenta- tion prepared by Harkness' counsel.