In Windsor, evidently, it’s high treason to ask questions.
I watched nine delegations and one councillor (yes, Alan Halberstadt) ask for an audit of the controversial, city-owned Enwin
Utilities at the council meeting on Monday. Here’s the take-away: You have to have an exceedingly thick skin — make that a suit of armour, maybe a bullet-proof vest, and it wouldn’t hurt to be cold-blooded — to throw yourself into that snake pit. Ask your question, then cover your head and your vital organs. Some councillors all but threw these people against a wall and fired on them.
“The only way to describe this is a sad debacle,” Coun. Fulvio Valentinis responded. “It doesn’t matter what the answer is, what the facts are, you just make another allegation,” he said, referring to Halberstadt.
Valentinis, it should be noted, is on the board of directors of Enwin Utilities Ltd., one of three Enwin boards that provide more than 60 per cent of all the pay that councillors pocket from boards and agencies.
He went on to blame Halberstadt for the audit of 400 City Hall Square that ended up costing $850,000. Though, as Halberstadt had already pointed out, he wasn’t the one who delayed the audit by withholding “boxloads” of information. That was city staff.
Coun. Drew Dilkens, who it should also be noted is on the board of directors of Enwin Energy, called the concerns “just a bunch of hogwash” and “nonsense” and called the motion for an audit “ridiculous.”
“One councillor,” he went on to say, also referring to Halberstadt, “never lets facts get in the way, all to play a role he thinks he has.”
Mayor Eddie Francis suggested that Taxpayers for Accountability in Municipal Affairs, the group that requested the audit, is a gang of troublemakers.
As for Halberstadt, the mayor asked, “The question is … is it really value for money (that Halberstadt is interested in) or nothing more than political gain? I look forward to the day Enwin is audited, but it can’t be politically motivated.”
Francis, it should be noted once again, is chairman of Windsor Canada Utilities, Enwin’s holding company, and Enwin Energy and vice-chairman of Enwin Utilities Ltd. Almost a third of his income last year came from Enwin. He asks if Halberstadt is motivated by politics. It could also reasonably be asked, is Francis motivated by other considerations?
To be fair, as Coun. Bill Marra noted while trying to tip toe through this minefield, some delegations “didn’t do anybody any favours” with their exaggerated allegations, sarcastic tones and heckling. Coun. Percy Hatfield gave up trying to speak over the taunts.
“You have an opportunity to clear up the clouds of suspicion … to be truly transparent … to regain the trust of the people,” Tom Dean told council.
And the delegations, too, had a chance to present a cogent case.
But, all in all, the decorum was so abysmal I thought I was watching Question Period in the House of Commons (I knew it wasn’t the Ontario legislature because it’s prorogued.)
Still, there were, as Marra dared to point out, some legitimate questions, questions that deserve answers.
Francis, as expected, had a response to every point. But the problem is this: Enwin’s board meetings are closed to the public. The minutes from the meetings aren’t public, either. All this could be — should be — public, but it’s not.
Dilkens said Halberstadt is “continuing to perpetuate the myth of scandals.” But it’s Enwin that’s guilty. The lack of information from Enwin has fed conspiracy theories, as Hatfield acknowledged. These meetings should be open; these minutes should be readily available. We can’t even find out board members’ attendance records or how long the meetings are.
Francis says all that will change. It was supposed to change last summer. Now, it’s maybe next spring. Why is it such a big production? “What in Heaven’s name is there to hide?” taxpayer watchdog Al Nelman asked.
In the meantime, let’s not forget that council was elected to serve even those who ask hard questions. Those people pay council’s salaries, too. Alleged hidden taxes at Enwin were the number one concern of Halberstadt’s constituents in the last election. Eight hundred people signed the petition requesting an audit of Enwin. People were very angry when council fired auditor general Todd Langlois after only nine months, with no explanation, without even reviewing his work plan — which included auditing Enwin.
Show some respect.
