MISSISSAUGAWATCH to file a complaint against authors/drafters of proposed City of Mississauga’s “Big Brother eSNOOP” Policy (despite knowing Complaints System thoroughly bogus)
February 2nd, 2010
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Get this —City of Mississauga Staff are at it again.
Their new proposed “Access to and Acceptable Use of Information Technology Policy and Supporting Guidelines” (on tap for tomorrow’s General Committee meeting) “consolidates” four existing Corporate Information Technology policies —two of which the Director of Mississauga Corporate Security violated as recently as yesterday!
So how bad is it?
Freedom of Information has confirmed the degree to which City of Mississauga Staff routinely fail to comply (indeed flaunt the abuse of) numerous Corporate Policies, guidelines —as well as law.
City records, videotape and audiotape have documented several examples of City of Mississauga Staff manipulating elected officials into voting in the best interests of Staff which includes shielding Staff from accountability. For example, Staff have publicly made claims about compliance to policies that Freedom of Information later confirmed to be false.
That this latest Policy relies on Staff compliance to “Supporting Guidelines” is the greatest swindle of all.
A reminder that Freedom of Information has confirmed that City of Mississauga Corporate Security has failed— and continues to fail— to comply to the Province’s “Guidelines for the Use of Video Surveillance Cameras in Public Places” because “They are only guidelines”. And Provincial guidelines are violated despite Security Manager Jamie Hillis’ reassurances that:
“Corporate Security will proceed under all existing guidelines and laws.”
So who watches the Mississauga Big Brother? Just me.
And it isn’t just the “in-house” Bill-159-exempt, quasi-fascist Mississauga Security knob-fest under the Corporate Services umbrella that routinely fails to comply, oh no.
Freedom of Information has confirmed that the City’s own “Guidelines for Working with the Trespass Act” weren’t just violated —but completely abandoned with no Staff knowing when or why or how. These Guidelines were meant to assist Community Services support Youth/minors on City Property. And get this: no one noticed! (That’s the “quality” of City of Mississauga managerial oversight of Staff and programs!)
Now Commissioner of Corporate Services Brenda Breault, expects that a Staff with a track record of rampant non-compliance (and cover-up) will magically comply with the new Corporate SNOOP Policy/Guidelines. There’s three letters for that kind of contempt for Evidence-to-the-Contrary.
WTF?
City of Mississauga Staff are clearly out of Control. After all, look at how Mississauga Corporate Security snooped in on Mayor McCallion back on June 7, 2006 using Council Chamber’s Pelco PTZ video surveillance camera. Zero consequences. After all, Guidelines are only guidelines, right?
Biggest laff-fraud in the report? Quote.
“The Policy also has a new section on investigating allegations of violations of the Policy…This is a significant accountability measure.”
Take it from a vast pile of Freedom of Information documents going all the way back to January 2007: there IS no Accountability at the City of MYTHissauga any more than there is Integrity. Myth. Non-existent.
How do I know? A Hazel McCallion email had this to say about Accountability on December 19, 2006:
You also expressed a concern that City staff are not accountable to Mississauga citizens and that citizens cannot request an investigation of actions by City staff. It is true that City staff are not directly accountable to the citizens, since City staff are not elected. However, City Council is accountable to Mississauga residents for the actions of City staff.
So who holds City Staff “accountable” according to Hazel McCallion? Why she and her Councillors, says she.
And who’s doing the snooping?… Why the City’s morally-beyond-redemption STAFF that she and Councillors claim they hold accountable!
As for just one small sample of Mississauga’s idea of “accountable” get this.
I’ve been trying to get the names of the City Staff responsible for the Mayor’s “You also expressed a concern that City staff are not accountable…” email.
I first asked for names back on June 10, 2009. Asked for names again on September 8th. Waited close to another five months and —yesterday, I emailed Brenda Breault, Commissioner of Corporate Services again requesting names… still no one willing to be held accountable for Hazel McCallion’s “You also expressed a concern that City staff are not accountable” email…
That’s the “quality” of individuals that Mississauga elected officials will entrust with Policy e-SNOOP —a municipal staff as Unaccountable as they are Out of Control. And the only thing more contemptuous to the public than Corporate Policy “Access to and Acceptable Use of Information Technology Policy and Supporting Guidelines” is if Mayor and Councillors approve it tomorrow.
Might as well share the last page of this proposed Corporate Policy e-SNOOP… a Mississauga TRUTH doodled in outraged-red.
Signed,
The Mississauga Muse
MISSISSAUGAWATCH
CanLII – Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46
R.S., c. C-34, s. 111.
Municipal corruption
123. (1) Every one is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years who directly or indirectly gives, offers or agrees to give or offer to a municipal official or to anyone for the benefit of a municipal official — or, being a municipal official, directly or indirectly demands, accepts or offers or agrees to accept from any person for themselves or another person — a loan, reward, advantage or benefit of any kind as consideration for the official
(a) to abstain from voting at a meeting of the municipal council or a committee of the council;
(b) to vote in favour of or against a measure, motion or resolution;
(c) to aid in procuring or preventing the adoption of a measure, motion or resolution; or
(d) to perform or fail to perform an official act.
Influencing municipal official
(2) Every one is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years who influences or attempts to influence a municipal official to do anything mentioned in paragraphs (1)(a) to (d) by
(a) suppression of the truth, in the case of a person who is under a duty to disclose the truth;
(b) threats or deceit; or
(c) any unlawful means.
Definition of “municipal official”
(3) In this section, “municipal official” means a member of a municipal council or a person who holds an office under a municipal government.
UPDATE: February 2, 2010. Received an email just now from City of Mississauga Commissioner of Corporate Services, Brenda Breault, advising me that “a response was sent to you on October 28, 2009 – please see attached.”
I was shocked! I immediately went to my yahoo.com InBox to see if a message from the Commissioner was there and gone unnoticed. Nope.
Here’s a printscreen of my emails for that day.
Also, my OutBox shows no responses and trust me, I would’ve responded.
Check out the answer to my June 10, 2009 request: “I ask that you reveal the author/s who wrote the Wed, 20 Dec 2006 email Our File: A.01 on behalf of Mayor McCallion”
Questions 1 and 2:
The responses dated December 20, 2006 and March 19, 2007 provided to you by the Mayor were written some time ago by multiple individuals who are senior staff in Legal Services, Finance and Audit. As I am sure you are aware, the Mayor receives a significant volume of mail from citizens and though she relies on staff to examine the issues and prepare draft responses, she ensures that she is in agreement with the final response that is sent out.
Like I wrote Hazel McCallion back in December 2006 and what I have maintained for all that time right up to this keystroke.
City of Mississauga Staff are UNACCOUNTABLE.
So. Watch as Mayor and Councillors entertain granting these unaccountable “multiple individuals” the power to monitor elected officials’ emails, phone calls, Blackberrys…
Ready? (quoting from City Staff’s eSNOOP Policy)
“if there are any other legitimate reasons to do so.”
UPDATE: FEBRUARY 5, 2010. I thought that I’d share what the City of Mississauga’s Commissioner of Corporate Services sent as a response to my request for the names of Staff responsible for two emails –one in particular that contained statements like:
The City’s By-Laws and Corporate Policies & Procedures are the
foundation of this accountability framework; they set the rules
governing staff action and behaviour.
and:
Therefore, mechanisms are needed to
monitor the actions of staff to see that the policies and procedures, as
well as City by-laws, are being followed. One of these mechanisms is
our Internal Audit Division; which is an important pillar of our
accountability framework.
and:
The Internal Audit Division conducts audits throughout the City and
thus provides independent and objective assurance to Council and senior
management that activities of the City are in compliance with City
by-laws, policies and procedures. If an audit brings to light a
situation which does not comply with City by-laws and policies, Internal
Audit alerts senior management and makes recommendations for corrective
actions. This results in a corrective plan being developed, which
management makes sure is implemented.
See that “This results in a corrective plan being developed, which management makes sure is implemented.”
HAHAHAHAAHAHHAA…. (have I got Freedom of Information!)
So. For the record, here’s the City’s response to my request for the NAMES who wrote “which management makes sure is implemented.” as well as other false claims. Direct cut-and-paste. Commissioner Breault, cc’d to Councillor Pat Saito that I finally received on Monday.
Questions 1 and 2:
The responses dated December 20, 2006 and March 19, 2007 provided to you by the Mayor were written some time ago by multiple individuals who are senior staff in Legal Services, Finance and Audit. As I am sure you are aware, the Mayor receives a significant volume of mail from citizens and though she relies on staff to examine the issues and prepare draft responses, she ensures that she is in agreement with the final response that is sent out.
Bottomline? Not a single name! UNACCOUNTABLE!
So, first thing I did this time? Asked for the names of all who worked on the “answers” to my latest queries. And of course, I asked for a resend of the email that the Commissioner said was sent back on October 28, 2009. I need to know why I didn’t get it. I suspect Spam filter… perhaps error in my mailing address (I made mailing address error just on Monday writing to City using mississaug.ca and failed to notice. Yes, I spelled “mississauga” wrong, so I know there are genuine mistakes. And hey, I’m ok with that.)
More in a separate Blog. This is getting too long, but it was important to update readers.
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