Back in April, Ajax-based citizen-Blogger, Karem Allen gave me the heads-up that she would try to get her town council to reconsider its position on the Bill 130 "Investigator" provision. (As a reminder, in late 2007, Ajax Council had voted to deny their citizens closed meeting investigations by the Ontario Ombudsman.)
Like many other Ontario municipalities intent on ducking Authentic Accountability, Ajax hired Local Authority Services (a "subsidiary corporation" of AMO --Association of the Municipalities of Ontario). Essentially, a municipal council hiring its own to investigate itself. (There's a lot of that goin' around.)
It didn't take all of three minutes showing up inside Ajax Council on April 28th for me to know that Karem Allen's pitch for her Council to change their minds and Shine the Light was doomed. Karem told me that while Wendy Ray of the Ontario Ombudsman's office had shown up --and Local Authority Services hadn't.
I knew then and there that Ontario Ombudsman's office had shown up for nothing. That was bad enough but Ms. Ray was forced to sit through the Ajax Town Council "councillings" before Karem Allen even got to her deputation.
As I'd expected, Council didn't ask a single question of the Ontario Ombudsman's office and that was it. On the bright side, we now know that Ajax isn't all that interested in facts, let alone considering them in their decision-making.
So I'm leaving and I see Wendy Ray standing outside Ajax Council talking to a couple of people (reporters?), don't know. And I see those two mini-dome video surveillance cameras on the ceiling peering down at her and I bristle BIG time. Bad enough they snoop on citizens without any signage about --but now their beady little eyes (I'm talking the security guards viewing the video, not the cams) have the Ontario Ombudsman's office-rep in their sights!
I bristle some more.
I go to the parking lot and watch from my car --Ray now talking to people outside the building. I look around at the Ajax external video surveillance mini-domes now doing their thing and I pull out my own video camera and begin to document the mini-domes and no signage about.
I had --like-- so HAD IT.
Well, it should come as no surprise that the Town of Ajax is one of the Ontario municipalities that I chose to research via Freedom of Information (FOI).
So May 26th, I showed up there to file five FOI's. Since one of my requests would be security footage of me inside Ajax town hall, I developed a cunning plaaaaan. And I was learning from "My Mississauga" experience...
On the three occasions that I filed for security footage of me from Mississauga, all three times I got "ACCESS DENIED". The first, readers may recall, I was told that there were "four gaps" in the footage. The second time, it was for privacy of others who were also recorded on the tape.
So I got smart and stayed inside Council Chambers while Mississauga Council went in-camera. Knowing that I was the only person and that they couldn't deny me footage, I then FOI'd security footage again. Strike Three. "ACCESS DENIED" --this time, (ready) because of security reasons --release of the footage would "reveal" the coverage/limitations of the surveillance camera inside Council.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHhahahahaah... those MissyPelcoWanx are so funny.
Now it was Ajax's turn. I sat down opposite the two mini-domes and with my own camera recorded myself videotaping the camera videotaping me. I'd talk into my camera, wave and give the time documenting me as the only living thing except the potted plants. That way, if Ajax were to deny me footage based on "the privacy of others" well... I'd go straight to the Privacy Commissioner as in by GO Train.
Anyway, I got back the Ajax Freedom of Information Video Surveillance footage result. No surprise, video of just l'il ol' me -- "ACCESS DENIED".
But I was flabbergasted by the reason! Now I'll only share the first part. (I know that the Minions of Municipal Evil Empires read this Blog and I don't want to telegraph the rest.)
"This will acknowledge receipt of your request for information under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Act) in which you requested;
i) a copy of the video surveillance footage from 2:30 to 3:50 pm, Monday May 26, 2008, from the two ceiling camera [sic --I wrote "cams"] outside Council Chambers, in Town Hall, at 65 Harwood Avenue South, Ajax," and;
AND HERE'S WHAT I GOT!
"In response to the first part of your request, staff were immediately advised and asked to ensure that the video footage from these cameras was secure. It was at this time that staff became aware of a problem with the system and the security company was called in. The security company confirmed that the digital video recorder that covers the camera outside of the Council Chambers had stopped recording at 12:08 p.m. on April 26, 2008. As a result, there is no video surveillance footage for the time in question noted in your request."
Yep. Only on May 28th when I dropped down the FOI for that video surveillance footage, did Ajax realize their security cams haven't been recording anything for over a month.
And funny. The video recorder failing on April 26th meant I got all shorts-in-a-knot-indignant over Ajax snooping on our Ontario Ombudsman's rep for nothing.
Signed,
The (the best defence against a Pelco is a 32:1 zoom) Mississauga Muse
P.S. Beside my request for footage from "2:30 to 3:50" I'd scribbled "precise time will be emailed" because no, I didn't sit in front of the surveillance cams that long. It's simply not necessary. One day, after my research on municipal security operations/practices is complete, I'll explain it all.
[UPDATE: June 20, 2008 7:09 pm. I didn't feel right about this Blog. I'd written that it was Linda Williamson at Ajax Council but the image in my mind was of Wendy Ray who had represented the Ontario Ombudsman's office in Niagara. I don't like not being sure. So I emailed Linda Williamson to confirm one way or the other. Please note, that it was Wendy Ray, Ontarians' Acting Deputy Ombudsman who was at the April 28, 2006 Ajax Council meeting. Ray's some kind of terrific.
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"I was upstairs, and later made my way to the podium area - where I observed Mr. Barber - a known problem person, previously banned from city hall.." (Mississauga Corporate Security Supervisor Witness Statement - June 7, 2006 - 12:57 am.)
"Big Brother has his hand firmly planted in our back pocket – government revenues his lifeline; unaccountability his refuge." (Andre Marin, Ontario Ombudsman --June 27, 2007)
"We must employ every possible tactic to dissuade those who try to silence us with fear" ---The Mississauga News Editorial (2007-03-24)
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