OPINION
editionap.ca
City dragging heels on property standards
To the editor:
Mr. Rogers of the Propert y Standards De- part m ent reports that “educating the of- fenders, friendl y notices and grace periods are good practices”. He clai m s that, “earl y for m al action (fines) is inconsiderate and confrontational”. He is m ore concerned about the offend-
wall prefers to have a truck pick the m up ev- er y m orning, free of charge to the offenders. T y ing up provincial courts is an excuse used b y Mr. Rogers but, cities like Sudbur y , trans- fer fines directl y to the offender’s propert y taxes. Mr. Rogers ad m itted to not knowing about fine transfers to propert y taxes and
ers for debris, furniture on balconies and garbage ever y where! Properties with con- struction and safet y issues have not even entered this discussion y et; just think of the revenue possibilities (other cities fine $25,000 and m ore for so m e infractions). The advisor y co mm ittee could have put the cit y back on track b y looking at the lack of enforce m ent and revise the b y -laws. So now, we will have to wait for y et another report (the third since June). This will prob- abl y get lost with the budget deliberations starting soon and the m ess in Cornwall will go on. A proposed propert y standards advisor y co mm ittee could have been a great help at solving the proble m s created b y a prop- ert y standards lack of enforce m ent and I encourage outraged citizens to m ake their voices heard and contact the m a y or and cit y councillors with their co m plaints. The above infor m ation is based on a re- port prepared b y propert y standards, re- quested b y Councillor Dupelle and present- ed to council Aug. 13, 2012.
Council made a huge mistake Tuesday night in deferring a solution that citizens of Cornwall have been helplessly waiting for. Council has no idea what its citizens put up with and what the real proble m is. Councillors obviousl y do not drive around to see the garbage ever y where, dilapidated houses, furniture stored on balconies, dogs defecating an y where and grocer y buggies ever y where. Believe it or not, we do have b y -laws to protect us fro m all this m ess. The proble m is no one at the propert y standards depart- m ent is willing to enforce the m and council couldn’t care less except m a y be for council- lors Dupelle and Cle m ent. The cit y of Cornwall received 2,164 co m - plaints in 2010 and 1,756 co m plaints in 2011. Are the proble m s of m ess y proper- ties getting better? No, co m plainants have just given up because the cit y does nothing about the co m plaints! When the propert y standards depart- m ent receives a co m plaint, the y inspect, is- sue a notice and then . . . ever y thing stops.
ers’ well being than the poor people who have to put up with the unsightl y proper- ties. Which part of b y - law enforce m ent does he not get? As the b y - law officer, it is his job to enforce the b y -laws to protect the rights of other tax pa y ers.
fines for grocer y bug- gies. Neither was he aware of Cornwall’s free pick up service of buggies. Another excuse given is lack of staff. In 2011, citizens paid taxes for a propert y standards depart- m ent, to the tune of
“Are the problems of messy properties getting better? No, complainants have just given up because the city does nothing about the complaints!”
$236,665 in salaries. With m ore than 2,000 propert y standards co m plaints a y ear at now $105 per co m - plaint, y ou do the m ath! This is enough revenue to support m ore staff if the y had issued fines! This is not even taking into ac- count clean y ard b y -laws fines and fines for repeat offences. Offenders are just loving this b y -law enforce m ent! The cit y m ust begin to charge offend-
The total revenue for 2011 b y -law en- force m ent was $77,828. (This includes 3,500 dog licenses and 345 building per- m its). How m uch revenue was actuall y tak- en in b y propert y standards for b y -law fines is a my ster y ! Could it be that there were no fines issued? Mississauga charges individuals for tak- ing grocer y buggies fro m stores while Corn-
Liane Geoffrion Cornwall
Time for new arts and culture centre for Cornwall
To the editor:
art accessible to ever y one. It also enhances the cit y ’s i m age and pro m otes touris m and eco- no m ic develop m ent. At the present ti m e, the art gal- ler y has outgrown its present loca- tion. As we celebrate the 30th anni- versar y of the art galler y , it is ti m e for the cit y of Cornwall to bring back the Lynch
position of arts and culture co-or- dinator and to begin working with the art galler y and other local arts organizations to develop plans for a new co mm unit y arts and cultural centre.
groups, dance troupes, and local m u- sicians. A new arts and cultural centre will m ake Cornwall’s arts and cultural scene m ore vibrant, m ake Cornwall a better place in which to live, and attract new businesses and jobs.
I wish to congratulate the Cornwall Re- gional Art Gallery on its 30th anniversary in our community. The art galler y has been a tre m endous asset for the cit y of Cornwall. The art galler y through its exhibitions and educational progra m s i m proves the qualit y of life in our co mm unit y b y m aking
We badl y need an arts and cultural centre to house the art galler y with a studio theatre to acco mm odate the cit y ’s theatre
Brian Lynch, Cornwall
Canadians need answers on E. coli controversy
23 000 copies
To the editor:
This govern m ent is putting Canada’s food safet y at risk. Consu m ption of beef conta m - inated with the bacteria can cause serious and potentiall y life-threatening illnesses. And b y the wa y Conservative M.P Gu y Lauzon voted in favor of the austerit y bud- get. Most i m portantl y , Canadians deserve answers on E. coli conta m ination.
Do Canadians expect their government to keep them safe? Last spring, the Harper govern m ent slashed $46 m illion fro m food inspection in Canada. Can y ou believe it ? One-third of all Canadian beef has been pulled fro m the shelves. The truth is, we’re facing the larg- est beef recall in Canadian histor y and m ore than 20 Canadians are sick.
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Mario Leclerc Former NDP candidate
Drug charges laid in three separate busts
Three city residents are facing drug charges in separate incidents over the span of six days earlier this month. A 16- y ear-old y outh was arrested was found to be in possession of approxi- m atel y five gra m s of a substance believed to be m arijuana after he was stopped b y police on Thursda y . He was charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Mark Seguin, 45, was charged Oct. 6 with possession of a controlled substance believed to be m arijuana. Andrea Menard, 49, was charged with possession on Oct. 5 after m e m bers of the Cornwall Co mm unit y Police Service Street Cri m e Unit alleged she was in possession of a controlled substance believed to be m arijuana.
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