Mississauga Musings

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"...because the Internet is showing that the people want IN." --Garth Turner MPP

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ONTARIO CITIZENS --TAKIN' IT TO YOUTUBE

Check out this remarkable local news story. Once again, from Niagara This Week --Fort Erie. I'll be serving up commentary [in square brackets] as we go along. As well I'll provide a few hints for fellow-citizens who might be considering beaming a molecule of light into their city halls.

Committee meeting clips posted on YouTube
By Alison Bell
Fort Erie
Nov 23, 2007

"The battle of the Bridgeburg BIA has spilled from Jarvis Street to council chambers to the Internet for all the world to see.

"John Gilmour, a lifelong Fort Erie resident and video enthusiast, said he has posted close to a dozen clips of council on YouTube with the hope of educating the public about the happenings during council-in-committee meetings, which are not televised."

[Here is citizen-videographer, John Gilmour at http://www.youtube.com/user/JohnGilmour --FYI. Back to the article...]

"Only regular council meetings, which are held on the second and fourth Mondays of the month, are broadcast on TV Cogeco. Committees meet on the first and third Monday of each month and are not taped for cable television."

[Same here in Mississauga --General Committee meetings aren't taped either. And neither are Budget Committee meetings. Back to the article...]

"'I believe that YouTube puts the power of the media back in the ordinary person's hands,' said Gilmour. 'The average citizen doesn't have to have influence of the media to get their word out.'

Gilmour said he's open to broadcasting 'good or bad' events or anything that he believes is 'worthy of public note.'"

[Actually, MississaugaWatch is a bit different. When it's a contentious issue like the Port Credit Library debates, or Enersource, I will post every minute of footage to YouTube. That way I head off any suspicion of bias plus I guarantee that the only people guilty of being "selective" work right inside city hall itself. Back to the article...Ready? Get this.]

"At council's Nov. 5 meeting, Gilmour captured footage of Coun. Ann-Marie Noyes accusing Coun. Sandy Annunziata of plagiarizing a code of conduct he submitted for information as part of the report to re-designate and re-establish the Bridgeburg Station and Ridgeway business improvement areas before council-in-committee.

Annunziata defended the accusation and the entire fallout can now be seen on YouTube."

[And here it is --on YouTube. I love the dude's comments.]

Fort Erie Town Councillor: Plagiarism (Source: Citizen-observer, John Gilmour)

(Click here to go directly to Fort Erie-based Citizen-Witness, John Gilmour's YouTube)

[Back to the article]

"Gilmour said he has been observing issues having to do with the removal of Costa Koutroulakis and Mike Hebbourn from their positions on the board of the Bridgeburg Station Business Improvement Area. The exact reason for their dismissal has not been released by the town. Gilmour, who is a computer consultant by day, said he has a working relationship with Koutroulakis.

'I post whatever moves my spirit, gets my juices flowing. I don't like people in public office exhibiting behaviour that is less than perfect.'"

[Again, I'm a bit different. Being far less than perfect myself, I don't expect perfection in others. My motivation is I don't like to see citizens (especially society's most-vulnerable) "hit" by their local government.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL CITIZENS CONSIDERING MONITORING MUNICIPAL MEETINGS

Read this part of the article carefully]

(Fort Erie Councillor) "Annunziata, the subject of Gilmour's most recent post, told The Post he doesn't have a problem being recorded, as long as it's for the right reason.

'As a councilor, I'm all for transparency and I'm all for the public being advised of issues that will affect them in the community,' he said.

'I don't have a problem with public meetings being taped, but there are certain people that are doing it and I don't necessarily think it's for the good of the public. I think they're trying to serve a personal agenda.'"

[Heads Up! This is a strategy that municipal councils will use on you. Councillor Annunziata's comment, "I think they're trying to serve a personal agenda" is classic displacement activity.

The ol' "I think they're trying to serve a personal agenda" is a variation on the well-worn "an axe to grind" and these comments serve two purposes. First, lobbing "an axe to grind" is a municipality's instinctive reaction to deflect attention (and above all, accountability) AWAY from its own behaviour.

Second, Bet your boots that "an axe to grind" is a municipal-noise to dismiss/silence legitimate citizen concerns.

Perfect example: "an axe to grind" was used as recently as last week by none other than the Mayor of Ajax in an attempt to justify that city's decision to Duck the Ontario Ombudsman and choose its own "investigator" through a Municipalities'-Approved-and-Controlled corporation called Local Authority Services.

Observe:

At LAS, Ajax picks investigator

Chooses group over Ontario Ombudsman
Wed Nov 28, 2007

"...the mayor said. 'I think some people will use this routinely as an axe to grind.'"

For citizens thinking of bringing their video cameras into council chambers and bearing witness, expect that "axe to grind" accusation.

Here's another hint for citizens: "an axe to grind" is MUNICIPALSPEAK for someone who's almost certain to have been "hit" and therefore "in-the-know"!

"Hit" as in (to quote Ontario Ombudsman, Andre Marin):

"When it hits one of us, we look in the rear-view mirror, hit the rewind button and try to find out, "How the heck did this happen?" And that's when you realize that things have happened in municipal council that either had no public accessibility or no public record."

BACK TO THE ARTICLE:]

"Gilmour admitted what he posts on the website could be seen as biased -- there are editorial comments placed over some parts of the videos -- but said as it is based on what he believes is in the public's interest.

'I do it for selfish reasons, I guess,' he said, adding that anyone can upload any video and post any comment in opposition of the ones he edited into his short films."

[Yep. Considering the stupendous budgets of many municipal Spin, err, "Communication" Departments, Fort Erie countering Gilmour with videos of their own is the YouTube version of "Turn-about-is-fair-play." Back to the article...]

"'It's open to the world. Anyone can broadcast on YouTube. It's a very simple and easy thing to do.'"

["Simple." "Easy." It really IS. And that's the beauty of it. However, I can't stress this enough --just be very careful . The city halls only too eager to aim their covert automated surveillance cameras at you won't be all that happy suddenly finding themselves on the opposite end of the lens. Back to the article...]

(Fort Erie Councillor) "Annunziata said having a camera in the chamber shouldn't change how members conduct business.

"'It doesn't change the conduct for me. The public has a right to see how council conducts the issues of the day and (the video camera) doesn't change my opinion or my views. I can't say the same about some people. If it's going to enhance the process I'm all for it.'"

[Hint for citizens: The comment,"I can't say the same about some people." is MUNICIPALSPEAK for "Unlike Exemplary-Me, some of my colleagues perform for cameras." This is a classic variation of the municipality-municipality swipe, "Unlike Exemplary-Us, we can't say the same about some municipalities."

LIKE, MEOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWW, eh?

Back to the article...]

"Gilmour said the public can expect more clips of council to appear on the Internet in the future.

"'We're going to look back one day and see how the Internet saved the world. It allows everybody to have the same voice,'" he said.

[Unfortunately, I can't agree with Mr. Gilmour. Ontario's poor/vulnerable still don't have an Internet voice. And a citizen YouTube channel still can't hope to compete with the mega-$Dollars$ lavished on the Torrent of press-releases and glossy-literature churned out by the Municipal Pros.

Sorry, but I'm pessimistic. Fort Erie-based Gilmour won't change anything any more than Voices of Ajax's, Karem Allen. Or Mississauga-based Me.

All we can hope to do is Bear Witness --Bear Witness to the Municipal-"hits".

I attended all four of the Future Mississauga Speaker Series so I'm more focussed on the Mississauga 50 Years from Now. If things in the GTA don't turn out as rosy as Mayor and Council currently predict?...

...to paraphrase our Ontario Ombudsman:

When it hits 50 years from now, and Future Mississaugans look in the rear-view mirror, hit the rewind button and try to find out, "How the heck did this happen?" they will NOT get their answers from municipal council records and minutes.

I know this with grim certainty. We can't change What Is --but we-citizens have a moral obligation to Bear Witness. Otherwise, The Future reads only their "history"...]

Signed,
The ("When it hits one of us, we look in the rear-view mirror, hit the rewind button and try to find out, "How the heck did this happen?") Mississauga Muse
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"In contrast to the local law enforcement agencies, Corporate Security provides a distinct difference in approach to providing a safe and secure environment within the community." --City of Mississauga Corporate Security 2003 Strategic Draft Plan

"We must employ every possible tactic to dissuade those who try to silence us with fear" ---The Mississauga News Editorial (2007-03-24)

FOR READERS' COMMENTS --SCROLL TO VERY BOTTOM OF THIS ENTRY.

"MISSISSAUGA --HOWZIT'S GOING" CARTOON ARCHIVE

Links to all previous cartoons in the Mississauga Howzit's Going series.

FELLOW-CITIZEN BLOGGERS

Voices of Ajax (Citizen-Blogger, Karem Allen)
TORONTOIAM (compilation of GTA Blogs)
Woodstock Ontario Independent News (Jim Bender)

FURTHER READING

Links to all "Antonio Batista Pothole Poet Trial" Blog entries have been moved to our alternate MISSISSAUGA WATCH Blogspace. Please click here.

MEDIA Bloggers:
Click here for John Stewart's Blog, RANDOM ACCESS
and Craig MxBride's X MARKS THE SPOT

Posted Toronto (National Post)
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