Mississauga Musings

Thank you to the Mississauga News [080721 NOTE: This Blog Entry crediting The Brampton Guardian with a readers' comment section has been changed. The Brampton Guardian provides only the appearance of a comment section. She don't work, son!]

I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm not sure when our MissyNews added this remarkable feature.

MAN IT'S A REMARKABLE FEATURE!

I have no idea where this feature appeared but citizens should be grateful that someone is giving them/us a legitimate voice into local matters and news.

So what's "the remarkable feature"?

OK. Go to the Mississauga News online front door. See all those news stories over on the right? Click on any one of them and look at the bottom (end of the article).

See the "Login|Register"? See the "User Comments" "Be the first to comment"
"Please login to comment"?

That's right. The remarkable feature is readers get to make remarks online! Like. Right in their home newspapers! The Mississauga News --I mean, what can you say? They've given their readers a true voice.

It isn't just news articles readers can comment on --but also Editorials and even Letters to the Editors.

It makes our MissyNews truly our paper. It's at our MissyNews where citizens can have legitimate input and especially real dialogue. Before this Online Comment remarkable feature, the only place where readers could find out what was really happening in Mississauga was John Stewart's Random Access Blog.

Mr. Stewart's readers also know that his Random Access provides the opportunity for debate and at times, heated discussion. Unlike the February "Community Engagement Visioning Charrette", Stewart never chimes in with "Now, now, let's keep things positive". Nope. Stewart welcomes comments warts and all.

Check out what Mississauga City Hall (aka Big Yellow) considers a "discussion forum"

In there it states, "Discussion Forum Guidelines:

While the City of Mississauga is committed to the concept of free speech, that speech should be responsible, free of insults, and respectful of others. Before participating in discussions, read the City's Terms of Use & Privacy Statement which includes Discussion Forum Guidelines. All posts are pre-moderated by City staff who may review, edit, or delete any message. If a submission violates discussion forum guidelines, or is any other way inappropriate, the submission will not be posted."

Recall, yesterday's Blog gave you the heads-up on Mississauga's use of the word "appropriate". Today I'm giving you the heads-up on Mississauga's use of the word "inappropriate" as in "or is any other way inappropriate".

The Mississauga.ca Discussion Forum Guidelines also state:

"Note: You must login to post messages or replies. Please allow 48 hours for review & posting"

Yep. In a world of Instant Messaging, the City "committed to the concept of free speech" forces a participant in its "Discussion Forum" to wait 48 hours before he can see his comment, then wait another 48 hours to receive any reply to his posting. And that "48 hours" is only if you post Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays.

I suspect posting on a Friday won't let you see your comment til --what?, Tuesday, maybe?

Yep, Mississaugans can sure have one lively engaging debate on the merits of selling-keeping Enersource on the mississauga.ca "Discussion Forum"...

Even the Mississauga.ca Discussion Forum is one acrobatic-challenge to find. Go ahead. Try and find it.

Not so the comments in the MissyNews --readers can comment on every news article, story, Letter to the Editor --and even the Editorial comes complete with a citizen "Writers' Corner".

SPEAKING OF METROLAND PUBLICATIONS

Email from Ajax-based citizen-Blogger, Karem Allen.

Her Letter to the Editor just appeared in a Metroland durhamregion.com and Karem's just given me permission to share it here.

Ombudsman would have answer to questions about hospital

Tue Apr 15, 2008

To the editor:

Re: 'Who is responsible for Ajax-Pickering hospital mess?', April 11 column.

We will never truly know who is responsible for the financial mess because hospitals are not in the jurisdiction of the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman.

If anyone could get to the bottom of a problem it is Mr. Andre Marin. The Ombudsman is kept out of the MUSH (municipalities, universities, school boards and hospitals) sector.

The Ombudsman's office could tell us where the money went! All these sectors are funded with our tax dollars and have citizens and public officials pulling the strings yet when problems arise there is NO accountability.

Ajax Council does not like the Ombudsman's office in the municipal sector because they chose to pay and retain Local Authority Services (AMO) to investigate closed-door meeting complaints.

Give the Ombudsman office access to all these jurisdictions and in two years extend Mr. Marin's term for another five years as he is truly the most effective person in that role that I have ever seen! His shoes will be very hard to fill.

The taxpaying citizens of Ontario deserve nothing less.

Karem Allen

Ajax

Karem's letter highlights two municipal themes, "If anyone could get to the bottom of a problem it is Mr. Andre Marin." and "yet when problems arise there is NO accountability."

MISSISSAUGAWATCH congratulates Karem Allen for speaking up on behalf of the citizens of Ajax. (KAREM, YOU GO, GIRL!)

Karem has assured us that we'll be hearing more from Ajax in the next while. As for Mississauga, I'm still documenting what is not happening. Yes, "not happening."

Whether stuff happens (as is the case with Ajax) or is not happening as right now in Mississauga, bank on this, dear readers -- "when problems arise there is NO accountability" and believe The Mississauga Muse when she too says, "If anyone could get to the bottom of a problem it is Mr. Andre Marin".

(The Muse rifles through her Video stash and --VOILA!)

VIDEO: Andre Marin --Ontario Ombudsman at "Right to Know"

(Click here to go directly to Mr. Marin's address at Google Video)

UPDATE: 8:19 PM THIS JUST IN

Was surfin' Google News for search words "Ontario Ombudsman" and VOILA! --one less evil empire rumpling up the fabric of the Ontario municipal landscape. Congrats to Niagara Falls!

Switch to ombudsman almost complete
Niagara Falls dumps private company, opts for free service
Posted By Corey Larocque
Posted 16 mins ago

Ontario’s ombudsman Andre Marin is expected to take over this week as the city’s closed-door meeting investigator after Niagara Falls severed ties with the private company originally hired to handle complaints about inappropriate meetings.

Councillors voted March 31 to turn to the Ombudsman of Ontario to satisfy a new rule requiring all municipalities to appoint an investigator who would look into allegations from the public that politicians met improperly behind closed doors.

“Clearly, we’re not infallible,” Coun. Carolynn Ioannoni said then, referring to the need to have an investigator in place to comply with a new provincial law.

Ioannoni led the charge to switch to the ombudsman because he provides his service free of charge to municipalities. The cost of investigations is covered through Marin’s $9.5-million budget from the province of Ontario.

Last year, Niagara Falls contracted Local Authority Services, a company owned by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. The company the city contracted last year charges a retainer of $600 plus $1,250 a day for an investigation.

“We are still working with them for steps for the termination of their service,” city clerk Dean Iorfida said.

Iorfida received an e-mail Tuesday indicating LAS would end its contract with Niagara Falls, though the city will sacrifice the $600 retainer it paid.

“It is not a problem for your municipality to cancel its closed meeting investigation services agreement with LAS,” the company’s program co-ordinator Jason Hagan wrote in an e-mail to Iorfida.

The ombudsman’s office had not yet been formally notified of the city’s plan to enrol with it, said communications manager Linda Williamson.

“We’ve taken the position all along it’s up to the city to inform us,” Williamson said.

There haven’t been any complaints in Niagara Falls under the new regulation that took effect Jan. 1. In Fort Erie, a member of the public complained about a meeting, but after investigating Marin said it was appropriate to hold that information session privately because no decisions were made.

By opting for the ombudsman, the city has joined Niagara’s regional government, Fort Erie, and St. Catharines which also chose the ombudsman in the first place.

Signed,
The ("SUSPECT1" "The Problem" crank, cretin, miscreant, malcontent, ****head, nutbar, lunatic, crazie, ****disturber, citizen etc) Mississauga Muse

P.S. THANKS MISSYNEWS and BRAMPTON GUARDIAN!
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QUIS CUSODIET IPSOS CUSTODES? "Who Watches the Watchers? --The Mississauga Muse

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

Want (or worse, need) to learn more? Link to MISSISSAUGAWATCH.CA
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