MISSISSAUGAWATCH Glossary
MISSISSAUGAWATCH will leave the pronunciation to the perceptive reader.
MISSISSAUGAWATCH invented the descriptor “@$$¢¢¢¢s” on October 20, 2008 because existing words of outrage didn’t quite cut it.
Used in the municipal sense, “@$$¢¢¢¢s” are those municipal minions who concern themselves primarily (if not exclusively) with the existing, short-term dollar-and-cents bottomline, regardless of future social costs.
For example, “@$$¢¢¢¢s“, when trimming budgets, will leave municipal employees with existing perks —or even increase them (Mississauga 2009 Budget), while cutting services to citizens (Mississauga 2009 Budget). “@$$¢¢¢¢s” will even introduce new fees (ie: for seniors), new money grabs (ie: photo radar and Litter Gotcha Days —you guessed it, (Mississauga 2009 Budget).
Conditions can so deteriorate in certain Ontario evil empire municipalities, that being an “@$$¢¢¢¢” must surely be a pre-requisite for hiring!
In relation to municipal government, “accountable” is the precise opposite of what a reasonable person thinks it means.
Example:
“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.
Wed, 20 Dec 2006 email from Hazel McCallion
FACT: It is not possible even through Freedom of Information for a citizen to prove that City Council has ever made even one City employee accountable, let alone disciplined for his/her actions because it’s “an HR issue”. (HR = Human Resources).
Why? Because there’s every evidence that protection and comfort of Municipal Employees take “uber alles” precedent over the rights of citizens as well as the public’s Right to Know.
When used with respect to Ontario municipalities, “BIG BROTHER” or “MUNICIPAL BIG BROTHER” or the Orwellian-inspired “MUNI-BB” refers to the unaccountable secretive, shadowy knob in charge of the other unaccountable knobz behind the video surveillance cameras that are violating the Ontario Guidelines for Using Video Surveillance Cameras in Public Places.
[NOTE: MISSISSAUGAWATCH supports the use of video surveillance and believes it's a vital and irreplaceable tool for law enforcement. MISSISSAUGAWATCH does not apply the term "BIG BROTHER" to video surveillance by Police Services, for example, or any other entity with strong accountability/oversight as well as independent Provincial checks-and-balances in place.]
[UPDATE: December 23, 2008. Regarding Big Brother, this MISSISSAUGAWATCH-produced YouTube "high quality viewing" Mississauga Big Brother video says it ALL.]
Just dropped in to see what Condition MISSISSAUGA CORPORATE SECURITY was in (4:47 min)
(HIGH QUALITY VIEWING)
(Click here to go directly to the clip on YouTube and Google Video)
Mississauga City Hall/Civic Centre (click here for webcam).
Chiefly British Slang
Someone held in low esteem.
Someone who blights the life of others. (By far the most despicable blighters are those in the public service who’ve been placed in positions of trust and granted the power to do others harm either by their action —or inaction.)
Brampton Corporate Security (aka Brampton City Security)
Brampton Corporate Security (BramCorpSec) guards are fully Bill 159 Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005 compliant. As a result, should a member of the public have issue with a BramCorpSec guard, he is assured of an independent complaints process and investigation conducted by Ontario’s Ministry of Correctional Services.
BramCorpSec is not to be confused with the “in-house” Mississauga Corporate Security (MissCorpSec) whose guards/supervisors are completely exempt from the codes, standards, accountability (independent Provincial complaints process and investigation) measures in Bill 159 Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005.
Acronym for: Corporate Repressive Evil Empire Power Structure.
C.R.E.E.P.S. refers to a publicly-funded entity that places the interests of its employees above those of the public that it is ostensibly there to serve. C.R.E.E.P.S. are the primary reason that Ontario is the Dead-Last-in-Accountabilty-Province.
UPDATE: March 19, 2009. Because of new insights gained as a result of documents arriving through Freedom of Information just this week, MISSISSAUGAWATCH is confident in saying that in addition to being “the primary reason that Ontario is the Dead-Last-in-Accountabilty-Province” C.R.E.E.P.S. are also a major Root of Youth Violence (and why youth initiatives without authentic accountability are ultimately public fraud doomed to fail.)
Origin: Statement made about the god-troll Mr. Shine in Terry Pratchett’s novel, “THUD!”
Commander Vimes: “Tell me about Mr. Shine, Brick. Friend of yours?”
“Mr. Shine is everywhere!” said Brick fervently, “Him Diamond!”
Wikipedia summarizes, the king-troll, Mr. Shine as follows:
Mr. Shine
Mr. Shine is the current Diamond King of trolls. His crystalline structure allows him to maintain a cool internal body temperature, making him far more intelligent than the average troll. When travelling, he must conceal himself in a cloak, since his appearance is blinding to most eyes. He was instrumental in preventing a dwarf-troll conflict in Thud!.
MISSISSAUGAWATCH’s use of the term “Diamond” is similar to the Hawaiian pidgin “fines’kine”. Finest kind. Exemplary.
Can be used for government/public service (although we’ve yet to meet a politician who’s Diamond).
Usage at the Municipal level:
“They got a Diamond FOI Department.”
and Provincial:
“Without Marin and Cavoukian, our asses would be in a sling —they’re Diamond!”
from Wikipedia [Emphasis MISSISSAUGAWATCH]
Doublespeak (sometimes called doubletalk) is language constructed to disguise or distort its actual meaning, often resulting in a communication bypass. Doublespeak may take the form of bald euphemisms (e.g., “downsizing” for layoffs) or deliberate ambiguity. Doublespeak is a disparaging label for any euphemistic term perceived to be uttered in bad faith.[1]
The term doublespeak was coined in the early 1950s. It is often incorrectly attributed to George Orwell and his 1949 dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The term does not appear in that novel, although Orwell did coin newspeak, oldspeak, and doublethink, and his novel made fashionable composite nouns with speak as the second element, which were previously unknown in English. Doublespeak may be considered, in Orwell’s lexicography, as the vocabulary of Newspeak, words “deliberately constructed for political purposes: words, that is to say, which not only had in every case a political implication, but were intended to impose a desirable mental attitude upon the person using them.” The term double talk (with a similar meaning) dates back to at least 1936. [2]
See also: MISSISSAUGAspeak and Newspeak
term coined by MISSISSAUGAWATCH in January 2009 and refers to six members of the eight-member Mississauga Transit Enforcement Team. Also referred to as “Hybrids” because we see their skills as in-between guards and police (closer to police).
Currently these six Missy Enfs are under the “umbrella” of Mississauga Corporate Security and a major goal (2009 MISSISSAUGAWATCH New Year’s Resolution) is to remove them from the MissCorpSec unaccountable impenetrable wasteland and over to Peel Regional Police Services as Special Constables.
MISSISSAUGAWATCH acknowledges that turning these Enfs into Peeler-SpCsts will be next to impossible given MissCorpSec’s pathological “keep-in-house”ness. We’re going to try anyway.
For more info, see MISSISSAUGAWATCH Report: The (six-man) Mississauga Transit Enforcement Team
Politicians, bureaucrats, millionaire business, developers, media, in whose interests the municipal, provincial government serves.
When referring to Ontario municipal government, the entrenched elite are whatever percent aren’t proles and form what George Orwell’s “1984″ called The Inner Party. MISSISSAUGAWATCH estimates 5% of a municipal population as entrenched elite.
While the City of Mississauga will point you to all manner of policies that appear to have “infrastructure” in place to deal with ethics —conduct and behaviour of City Staff, Freedom of Information documents filed since January 2007 reveal these policies and procedures to be merely window-dressing —just paper policies.
MISSISSAUGAWATCH was once told by a City of Mississauga employee that should management (Commissioners/Directors) ever rule against an employee in a public complaint, “it would spread through the Corporate like wild fire”.
Repeat, the City of Mississauga has plenty of paper creating the illusion of Ethical Infrastructure. Try USING any of them!
Any Ontario municpality that responded to the Bill 130 Accountability “closed meeting” measure by denying its citizens access to a free, fair and impartial investigation by the Ontario Ombudsman, e.g. Ajax, Brampton, Caledon, Halton Hills, Mississauga, Peel, Oakville, Whitby…
There are degrees of evil empires. For example, a more evil empire would be the Corporation of the City of Brampton. Not only has Brampton denied its citizens access to a free, fair and impartial investigation by the Ontario Ombudsman, it actually charges citizens $250.00 for an investigation (last time I checked the second-highest fee in the province) by an investigator that Brampton selected/hired themselves!
Is your municipality an evil empire? Click here at the Ontario Ombudsman’s Office roster to confirm.
The bull-goose-looney in charge of (but not necessarily accountable for) any municipal entity consisting of two or more people.
MISSISSAUGAWATCH VOCAB-FACTOID: When referring to Ontario Municipal Security operations, the “Grand Skulk” is always a higher rank than “BIG BROTHER“.
Knob, Knobz (alternate sp. plural: Knobs)
Ontario municipal security operations and any other security-related Ontario-based video-snoop/ban/arrest/handcuff entity that is exempt from the codes, standards and accountability measures in Bill 159 Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005. Knobz know that they are a law unto themselves and act accordingly.
UPDATE FEBRUARY 6, 2009 SPECIAL NOTE about City of Toronto Corporate Security:
While it is true that Ontario municipal “in-house” municipal security operations/guards are EXEMPT from the standards, licencing, Codes of Conduct and independent provincial public complaints process of Bill 159, the Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005, the Manager of Toronto Corporate Security (City of Toronto Manager of Security and Life Safety) informed me that ALL of his security guards are fully-compliant with Bill 159 and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Click here for more details regarding Toronto Corporate Security.
UPDATE APRIL 8, 2010: Click here to learn about City of Toronto Corporate Security complaints process.
City of Mississauga RESPONSE UNIT.
Refers to either the old “674″ “675″ Impalas or the newer (November 2007) “676″ “677″ and (new as of November 2009) “678″ Dodge Chargers.
WARNING! Security guards inside these vehicles are exempt from all the standards, Codes of Conduct and independent complaints process in Bill 159 Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005. Freedom of Information since January 2007 has CONFIRMED that City of Mississauga Corporate Security has no accountability mechanisms in place. We’ve taken their complaints process for a test drive as well as filed Freedom of Information on the poor saps who filed complaints and got nowhere.
We’ve also confirmed no oversight or Accountability through the Mayor or Councillors. BELIEVE!
Mississauga Corporate Security (aka Mississauga City Security)
MissCorpSec is the “in-house” municipal security operation of The Corporation of the City of Mississauga. MISSISSAUGAWATCH refers to MissCorpSec guards/supervisors as knobs because they are exempt from the codes, standards and accountability measures in Bill 159 Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005.
Above all, MissCorpSec guards are exempt from the independent complaints process and investigation that the Province of Ontario has provided the Public through its Ministry of Correctional Services. MissCorpSec exclusively investigates itself!
After two years of effort through Freedom of Information, MISSISSAUGAWATCH still hasn’t found any provincial law that applies to holding “in-house” Ontario municipal security operations accountable to the public. Neither could MISSISSAUGAWATCH find any evidence of scrutiny/assessment, let alone independent scrutiny.
MISSISSAUGAWATCH was the first to take the March/2008-approved “formal” MIssCorpSec public complaints procedure for a test drive and then filed Freedom of Information to determine how and who conducted the promised “thorough investigation’. MISSISSAUGAWATCH confirms that MissCorpSec protects the identity of its knob-guards even during the formal complaints process so a legitimate public complaint about a MissCorpSec guard isn’t even possible.
Fact: a complainant can’t find out the name of a MissCorpSec knob they need to complain about even through Freedom of Information! MISSISSAUGAWATCH has tried and MissCorpSec hid behind an exemption. MISSISSAUGAWATCH is currently (Jan 2009) appealing this with the Ontario Freedom of Information and Privacy Commissioner.
Not to be confused with Brampton Corporate Security (BramCorpSec) whose guards are fully Bill 159 Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005. compliant!
(first see: MissCorpSec)
The MissCorpSec dATaBAsE (MissCorpSec-DB) is “in-house”-designed database used by “in-house” Mississsauga Corporate Security personnel to (theoretically) keep track of all bans, trespasses and arrests issued to citizens by City of Mississauga Security as well as City Staff while at City facilities/parks/Properties
“Database” is typed as “dATaBAsE” to emphasize what at first blush appears to be the raNdOmNESs of its design, application and what it spits out as “stats”.
Freedom of Information filed to shed light on the creation, design and implementation of this dATaBAsE however hints at something entirely non-raNdOm about it! In short, that it was purposely-designed to be as non”robust” as it is.
In addition, Freedom of Information has confirmed that not all citizen bans or arrests are recorded in the MissCorpSec dATaBAsE,
Above all, the MissCorpSec dATaBAsE could not provide a full bans, trespasses and arrests printout when MISSISSAUGAWATCH requested “Officer name” and “Postal Code” to be included along with other fields.
What this means is that MissCorpSec could have never assessed/analyzed its guards’ banning/trespass/arrest practices MISSISSAUGAWATCH is the first to do so!
Interestingly it was the uniquely-astute Brampton-based reader, “Commentguy” who provided the best one-word description of the MissCorpSec dATaBAsE.
“MissCorpSecNonDatabaseThatDoesntExistButReallyDoesButTheyCantFindAnythingInItForFOIRequestsWhereThePublicWantsThemHeldAccountable”
Yes, the word’s length destroys this Glossary’s page boundaries. None-the-less, a Thing of Beauty.
coined by MISSISSAUGAWATCH in 2007.
City of Mississauga (Elected officials/Staff) dialect of doublespeak see: doublespeak
Examples: and
see also:accountable andsteady, maintain steady
also:
“Our values are universal.” (Mississauga City Manager, Janice Baker (May 23, 2007 Mississauga Council meeting)
And MISSISSAUGAWATCH can find no greater smarmier example of doublespeak’s “deliberately constructed for political purposes: words, that is to say, which not only had in every case a political implication, but were intended to impose a desirable mental attitude upon the person using them.” than this statement from a July 8, 2008 Hazel McCallion email:
“[Staff name] has assumed his responsibilities that come with his assignment with his usual professionalism.”
Rhymes with “Gestapo”.
“Misstapo” term was coined by MISSISSAUGAWATCH and refers to City of Mississauga Corporate Security and their unaccountable, unscrutinized Law-Unto-Themselves conduct and operations.
See also MissCorpSec
From Merriam Webster Online dictionary:
1 : a servile dependent, follower, or underling
2 : one highly favored : idol
3 : a subordinate or petty official
The entrenched elite cannot remain entrenched elite without municipal minions doing their bidding. Also municipal employees (union, non-union, temporary, contracted etc), sycophants, toadies (no offense to toads), cronies, lackeys, hangers-on…
word coined by Bucky1, the Managing Editor of The Mississauga News” in his funny and insightful August 14, 2009 Blog, entry “Nando’s the word”
Direct quote because it’s criminal to mess with Perfection…
From now on,whenever you get a blast of someone’s unreasonable temper, whenever you are mocked or needlessly ridiculed, you should say: “I’ve been nandoed.” If describing the aforementioned behaviour, you would say: “That guy just pulled a nando!” If describing to another person how someone berated you in public to a point where you felt completely humiliated, you would say: “The guy went nando on me.” But, say, you were talking about a friend who refuses to apologize when they are so obviously wrong, you might say: “He’s so nando.” On the other hand, if you are criticizing someone for their socially boorish behaviour, you might say: “What a nando!”
from Wikipedia [Emphasis MISSISSAUGAWATCH]
is a fictional language in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the novel, it is described as being “the only language in the world whose vocabulary gets smaller every year”. Orwell included an essay about it in the form of an appendix[1] in which the basic principles of the language are explained. Newspeak is closely based on English but has a greatly reduced and simplified vocabulary and grammar. This suits the totalitarian regime of the Party, whose aim is to make any alternative thinking — “thoughtcrime”, or “crimethink” in the newest edition of Newspeak — or speech impossible by removing any words or possible constructs which describe the ideas of freedom, rebellion and so on. One character says admiringly of the shrinking volume of the new dictionary: “It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.”
Click here to see the online 1984 Newspeak Dictionary.
see also: doublespeak and MISSISSAUGAspeak
Acronym for:Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System
In short, OMERS is the pension of Municipal employees.
It is actually in the interests of City of Mississauga employees that Michael Norbrega, the President/CEO of their pension plan have 10% ownership and 100% control of Mississauga Hydro (aka Enersource).
However, it’s clear that there are seven Councillors who feel that being stuck with a 10% partner exerting 100% control is not in the interests of the citizens of Mississauga.
Global Leaders in Video Surveillance Security Systems.
MISSISSAUGAWATCH usage: “pelco-ed” means simply “under video surveillance” and does not refer to any specific make of camera.
Usage in a sentence: ”Man, I don’t mind being pelco-ed, but pelco-ed by KNOBZ?!”
All public “security” (aka: knobz) behind video surveillance cameras/systems whose security operation has no legitimate oversight.
From the chess-related movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. The correct spelling is actually “patzer,” and it’s a derogatory name for a weak player. The term was revived in the Kevin Smith film, Chasing Amy
“made or carried out in a perfunctory manner or as a formality” (Merriam Webster Online Dictionary)
also: RUBBER STAMPED —often without any discussion or with any written details inside the actual Council agenda regarding what is being approved.
Example: The absurd Mississauga Corporate Security complaints procedure (drafted by Mississauga Corporate Security to investigate itself) was first brought to the Audit Committee where it was pro forma’d. What token “discussion” ensued was just that, token. perfunctory. The Mississauga Audit Committee actually approved the Mississauga Complaints form without ever seeing it.
The Mississauga Corporate Security complaints procedure was then passed to Council for recommendation to approve. Mississauga Council then approved it without any discussion or without the policy or the complaints form inside the agenda for Council or the public to see.
Examples of other important polices that were pro forma’d are the Mississauga Violence, Vandalism and Bullying Policy, the Mississauga Video Surveillance Policy and the Mississauga Records Retention By-Law.
Newspeak, from George Orwell’s “1984″. From the online Newspeak Dictionary… “Proletarians. Approximately 85% of Oceania’s population are in this class.”
MISSISSAUGAWATCH hasn’t yet determined the percentage of proles vs entrenched elite in Mississauga or Peel. We’re working on it but 85% proles sounds about right…
Global Leaders in Video Surveillance Security Systems.
MISSISSAUGAWATCH usage: “pelco-ed” means simply “under video surveillance” and does not refer to any specific make of camera.
derogatory term for young adolescent male, derived from scrotum.
Usage: “I tagged three ****’n scrotes at once and arrested them for Trespassing at MCC.“
Spin —“maintain steady” used to create a positive “sustainable” impression when progress is deliberately impeded.
Origin: August 7, 2008 article MISSISSAUGA NEWS, “Freedom of Information requests hold steady”. Quote:
“(We) expect the number of requests to maintain steady… ”
—Brenda Breault, Commissioner of Corporate Services and Treasurer (The Corporation of the City of Mississauga)
—slogans, mantras, mission statements, quips, talking heads, prolefeed, duckspeak
The Party Line shovelled to the voting public to either 1. get elected or 2. to stay in power. THE MESSAGE is the public face of those in power and often has no bearing at all with the reality of a situation, public policy or even the party’s actual platform.
THE MESSAGE is how Those-with-Power-over-Us profess to deliver The Common Good.
The greatest danger to citizens exists in governments (municipal especially —perhaps even Ontario municipal, especially) where politicians professing to serve the public “look the other way” and chirp self-serving and (subtle) free speech restrictions like “Keep it Positive.”
The sad fact is, in the most ruthless and duplistic municipal governments (and yes, I’m talking right here in Ontario) it’s not possible to access/gauge the depth of THE MESSAGE even through Freedom of Information.
Etymology: German. Meaning: above all else
un-email (Inspired by George Orwell’s “unperson” and coined by MISSISSAUGAWATCH)
Email that has been erased from existence by the government employees/politicos for any number of reasons. A un-email is completely erased from history (and out of the reach of Freedom of Information). Make that “especially out of the reach of Freedom of Information.”
WTF is an internet slang acronym for “What the f***?”
The Urban Dictionary defines a WTF moment as, “A moment where something so surprising or ridiculous happens that the onlooker can only exclaim “wtf?!”.”
MISSISSAUGAWATCH uses a question mark and exclamation mark after “WTF” as intensifiers.
For example, the knobs and knob management at City of Mississauga Corporate Security provide MISSISSAUGAWATCH with a gushing stream of WTF-moments.
Usage: “I opened the Freedom of Information letter requesting Mississauga Corporate Security records of any individual/entity providing oversight into their conduct and operations and got ‘no responsive records’. WTF?!”
MISSISSAUGAWATCH BLOG CLARIFICATION SECTION
AL QAEDA YOUTH RECRUITMENT CONSORTIUM
You clicked? You’re kidding, right?
(If you clicked because you knew the AL QAEDA YOUTH RECRUITMENT CONSORTIUM was made up, congrats and hope you enjoyed!)
The CITY OF MISSISSAUGA CORPORATE SECURITY SENSITIIVITY TRAINING INITIATIVE
Surely you didn’t click again expecting to reach a real link to the CITY OF MISSISSAUGA CORPORATE SECURITY SENSITIIVITY TRAINING INITIATIVE … surely! You’re kidding, right?
(If you clicked because you knew that there was a greater chance for the existence of an AL QAEDA YOUTH RECRUITMENT CONSORTIUM than a CITY OF MISSISSAUGA CORPORATE SECURITY (invented) SENSITIIVITY TRAINING INITIATIVE and you’re readin’ this on a lark… Good on Ya!)
Click here for a link to the Blog that mentions the CITY OF MISSISSAUGA CORPORATE SECURITY (invented) SENSITIVITY TRAINING.
METROLINX’S “BETTER L-8 THAN NEVER IN ’08″ SPECIAL CONSTABLE ROLL-OUT
Congrats, you’re justified clicking on this one —regardless of whether you believe there’s such a program.
Sure Mextrolinx needs a seemless cadre of Special Constables to ensure the safety of transit riders and to bring professionalism to the shoddy dog’s-breakfast world of the Security Industry in this Province.
But please remember, the vast majority of municipalities go with the bottomline CHEAP. (Or ”in-house”-SECRETIVE, SHADY —BEYOND SCRUTINY and exclusively under your control.)
Click here for a link to Blog that mentions the METROLINX’S “BETTER L-8 THAN NEVER IN ’08″ SPECIAL CONSTABLE ROLL-OUT.
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Hey there, DV
You asked:
I’m not sure what you mean by “FOI library”. If you mean you’d love to see me FOI Mississauga library, I’ve already done it. And am prepping a follow-up FOI based on what I got back. I even have the scan of the FOI docs ready to publish but have held back. Just like I got tons of my Mississauga Corporate Security FOI results ready to launch.
Just waiting on other ducks to land on the pond first.
Library FOI’s confirm what I suspected based on Council discussions on library closings. How these closings are decided. Social issues play no part. Tomorrow there’s a meeting to discuss the closing of Sheridan Library —currently serving a needy area of Mississauga.
Just a sense but it’s like the middle class FAT CAT municipal employees just don’t want to deal with “high maintenance” clientele.
You should see the documents I got one on how Mississauga library decided to close on that first Family Day in 2008. You konw, that new statuatory holiday when adults were not at work and kids not at school and therefore had actually opportunity to visit a library TOGETHER? As a FAMILY? Buggers closed the libraries and man oh man, the rationale!
You wrote:
Perhaps we’re not talking about the same things. I’m not FOIing library collections but library (City) documents (how decisions are made by Mississauga Staff regarding budgeting, staffing, excuses upon excuses about service cuts while dazzling the public with “We are a dedicated teams of library professionals”. That kind of thing.
You wrote:
I’ll check that out. Some people believe that Americans won’t put up with the same level of video surveillance that Brits have bent over for. But I disagree. Our democracy and privacy continues to erode while Big Brother neatly avoids scrutiny. Americans won’t be any different.
Love it when they use the same technology Pelco PTZ video surveillance and rebrand it as a “traffic” cam.
I keep waffling between giving up and saying “People deserve the governments they get” vs “People can’t help being fleeced by the Sophistication of The Message.”
Anyway. Not against those cams. Just the absence of accountability and the blackened-banana-peel knobs behind the cams of my acquaintance.
re: which library MM I should leave my comments out overnight to season and suffer you to fewer misinterpretations!
FOI library – no, not the Library, YOUR library of collected and well paid for Freedom of Information requests.
I did get a book on FOI and look forward to my own thrilling foray into this mess. Need a topic. Maybe – what percentage of monies raised by the Mississauga Marathon are distributed to a charity? Maybe why there is no bus service in Lorne Park on a Sunday. Maybe why city staff broke guidelines and were caught by OMB (for reno next door) Maybe who goofed up on City Hall stairway design in first place and why the handrails had to be put in after –
oh gosh… maybe I’ll find something simple like did the City start enforcing its own guidleines when it comes to recieving annual financial reports from groups like the Miss. Hockey League.
Something for your younger followers …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5-l5EyYpr8
by one of the finalists from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s contest http://www.youthprivacy.ca/en/contest.html
Hey again DV,
You wrote:
OK. This is the picture. I have over two years of Freedom of Information documents initially spurred by a “remarkable” experience with the City of Mississauga. I couldn’t understand how what happened to me and Hazel McCallion supported Staff. Trust me. When people are screwed over they know it! No what WHAT McCallion claimed.
That forced me to Freedom of Inforamtion..
And well, it was clear that Mississauga hadn’t been FOI’d before (mot for general records in the way that I was!) My! The DOCUMENT-turds that surfaced at first flush!
But here’s the problem. Once I realized what happened, then I placed priority on warning others —at-risk Youth, the Poor, Under-educated (anyone the City thinks it can screw around and bully and that includes me by the way, did they ever bully me).
So that’s how this Blog happened. And YouTube MISSISSAUGAWATCH.
My other priority was to investigate the conduct and operations of the handcuff-and-ban-zero-accountability folks at Mississauga Corporate Security. For two years that’s been my primary focus with one FOI a stepping stone to another.
Some could argue that I should have posted each FOI result as I got them. But, DV, these Mississauga documents without explanation (colour commentary, links to Corporate policies, procedures, guidelines, not to mention provincial acts) would be meaningless for all but the most in-the-know.
The best example I can give you is had I posted Mississauga’s “Guidelines to the Trespass Act” back when I got it in 2007, like me, people would’ve gone two years thinking that kids/youth were receiving assistance and remediation from the City’s Child Worker when they brushed against City of Mississauga Staff and Security Guards. It was only just over a month ago when I was informed that Mississauga’s “Guidelines to the Trespass Act” had been completely abandonned.
Folloe up questions could not determine when the Guidelines were abandonned or by who. No one’s talkin’!
That’s why I’m holding this FOI stuff back. I don’t want people to think policies/procedures are in place when they are not.
And I don’t want to post policies that are bogus and full of MISSISSAUGASPEAK /DOUBLESPEAK and trip up people that way. I know it wouldn’t surprise you to learn how many Corporate policies are worded so as to be rendered meaningless. For show only. Someone naive (just like me five years ago who believed in Hazel McCallion) would be suckered in by these policies, thinking there’s Trust, Quality, Excellence when there’s Employees Uber Alles.
You understand then that without my comments/warnings alongside each policy/document and only posting Mississauga’s “raw” material that I would actually be posting their MISinformation?
You wrote:
Darlin’… re: “enforcing its own guidelines”, as I’ve said, I’ve got two years’ worth of documention that Mississauga doesn’t enforce/comply with its original Violence, Vandalism Policy, its revised Violence, Vandalism and Bullying Policy, its Video Surveillance Policy, its Guidelines to the Trespass Act when it was in place, its whatever policy there is about Staff abandonning Guidelines without anyone knowing about it or taking responsibility for it, and let’s not forget the policy Staff ignored and lost $731,000 in transit revenues.
And if you’d sat in on Mississauga’s Audit Committee meetings like I have since October 2006, you’d understand 100% why.
You now telling me Missisauga also ignores its own “its own guidleines when it comes to recieving annual financial reports from groups like the Miss. Hockey League” is zero surprise. As I’m sure that it should be no surprise to you that I have a 2007 audio record that the Mississauga Hockey League has zero clues about how Mississauga implements and doesn’t implement its Violence, Vandalism policies.
Warning. Like me, you’re going to make mistakes in wording at the beginning and the evil empire will take advantage of that to hide from accountability ( actually there is no accountability at all but you get the drift). Just expect to make mistakes.
Let me make one request. Make your FOI’S matter.
Two years’ worth of FOI’s reveal that the greatest problem (horrible, corrosive to the soul) swirls around Mississauga claims re: treatment of citizens. Claims of “we treat all residents equally”, claims of fairness, caring about public input, caring about kids etc. No. They make a great noise about caring but FOI builds a strong case that no one has every bothered to check fairness/treatment. “No responsive records”.
Another hint. Expect a lot of “No responsive records”..
You mentioned “handrails” . Just now, this morning I had to abandon yet another FOI query around Mississauga’s compliance with the 2005 Accessibility Act. Search fees were $237.00 can’t afford that noise. I need to concentrate on Mississauga Corporate Security guards/management conduct and operations.
It’s like our sea turtle research. We discovered that it’s vital to focus on one/two components of their biology and become as expert as we could. Same with MissCorpSec (especially in light of what we already know and implication for Youth.). As you build your case, you can ultimately report to all agencies.ministries that play a role with municipal “security”.
Don’t forget. I have to fight three decades worth of belief that Mississauga is Trust, Quality, Excellence —a shining beacon to the world as to how a city should be run. (Try screaming a warning into a full-force cross-fire hurricane.)
You and I can write. We have enough money for FOI and search fees. As you know many Mississaugans do not. The Poor are by far the Mississauga’s most under-served and I dare say, duped and screwed over. My focus is now on… never mind, don’t want to say (again, the evil empire is moving its lips to this Blog)
Mississauga Community Services, DV. That’s where I suggest you target your FOI’s. Their facility/library usage ”data” is (what’s the word…) opaque. And one latest item, wrong (admitted by a director)
They use averages so that a library with roughly 150-200 stat usage gets obliterated because Mississauga will boast the average of 1,000-1500 per day because they’re pulling in stats from high-use libraries like Malton. In the meantime they close Malton and keep open the 15-200 per day snooze-fest facilities. (easier on Staff).
Can tell you this. Once you investigate through FOI, you’re finally gaining insight into what’s really going on. Report it and you’re actually doing something the traditional media isn’t.
Us citizens are it, DV. Traditional Media are often little more than spigots for trumpeting andn parroting the successes of municipalities.
And believe this. You can’t change a thing. Like me, you will change nothing about how Mississauga operates.
But you CAN warn others. Just whatever you investigate, pick something that will help the greatest number of citizens. Because it isn’t just Mississauga that’s unaccountable. This is an Ontario municipal thing. A Pan-Provincial Blight.
And I fear something else… something I’ll address later.
Good luck and if I can be of help…
Hi again Dv,
Something for your younger followers …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5-l5EyYpr8
by one of the finalists from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s contest http://www.youthprivacy.ca/en/contest.html
Thank you so much for this. I just viewed it. Of course, not knowing what I do through Freedom of Information, this kid doesn’t know that he should be far more worried about the unaccountable security knobs behind those video surveillance cameras than the actual cams themselves!
Municipal Big Brother (Muni-BB), for example, Freedom of Information reveals is one scary unaccountable knob.
And the municipal Youth programs like the Peel Youth Violence Prevention Network (ostensibly to inform Youth) will not warn kids aboutthe big black unaccountable hole they can fall into.
Youthprivacy ca Contest Finalist Video
(Click here to go directly to the clip on YouTube)
Thanks again, DV!
The Muse
Mississauga Muse – you have provided a rich banquet of thought for me to digest. I will be a bit quiet, reread the above items tomorrow and let a plan form.
Yes, I will be focused and the Community Services group could indeed be a useful investment.
Though the following was for a different request than yours – you might enjoy the harsh words against the City and FOI fees in 1993 http://www.accessandprivacy.gov.on.ca/english/order/mun/m-218.html
DV
Hey DV,
You wrote:
Another warning. Don’t plan on the plan staying your plan. Mississauga will almost-always throw a wrench into it. Expect detours, delays and plenty of “The City denies Access”…
You wrote:
Because I’m FOIing Mississauga Corporate Security, I’m essentially FOIing Corporate Services although I do make forays into Community Services what with me being on the Peel Youth Violence Prevention Network. Don’t want to say any more (by now I’m sure you know why).
Don’t know if you’re like me but I can’t stand an unasked question. It’s like an itch. Of course that also gets me in trouble with the evil empire.
You wrote:
Actually DV, I get very little enjoyment out of all this. I wish I had my life back. Don’t get me wrong. It’s great to have met you and Happy Investigator and Guitar Man and Commentguy and know there’s an Ontario Ombudsman and a Privacy Commissioner helping citizens.
But I’d rather have my Mississauga back and be researching sea turtles. You know, the Mississauga I thought I had?
I told you this elsewhere and I’ll say it again. This FOI journey you’re starting. It WILL change you. It’ll even change how you see yourself in Old Age. Your government won’t be there for you. Or how you see the prospects for needy Youth. McMurtry/Curling saying that “we are at a crossroads” stuff. Two million dollar report and not a single FOI filed.
What does that tell you, DV? No, not “enjoy”. Most days I operate Angry and Sad. Mostly Sad.
are city councillor expenseds public information ? how do you see what they have submitted ?
What no discussion of today’s vote by City Council to launch a Judicial Inquiry into Hazel’s involvement with her son’s development company and OMERS.
Did she hold a public meeting to sell the public on keeping OMERS as a partner in Enersource at the same time as her son’s deal was in trouble? OMERS sends nasty notes on Jan 8 and 9 and boom Hazel announces a public meeting on Jan 9 (see her press release) to say she is holding a public meeting on OMERS staying as a partner — she also withheld the lawyer’s report that detailed how OMERS had effectively a 50% say in Enersource even though they paid for only 10% — same company in both issues at the same time — you do the math.
Hi Anonymous,
Regarding yesterday’s vote by City Council to launch a Judicial Inquiry into Hazel’s involvement with her son’s development company and OMERS over to a recent Blog which is about that Conflict of Interest issue.
The Glossary here isn’t really the best place for this.
Instead, I ask that you go to the Blog “Hazel McCallion “failed to declare verbally a conflict of interest over son’s $14M land deal” (Toronto Star). MISSISSAUGAWATCH says, “But wait! There’s MORE video!”” and your comment will be cut-and-pasted there along with my comments.
See you there.
THIS COMMENT WAS SUBMITTED BY “john” AND IS HEAVILY EDITED.
Submitted on 2009/10/06 at 8:05pm
I’m not sure if this site is only pertaining to security. But, I would like to put a challenge on for you. In November 2008, the DETAILS DELETED] Can you find out how….
Dear John,
MISSISSAUGAWATCH isn’t only investigating City of Mississauga Corporate Security although Ontario Municipal Security is our primary focus.
You wrote:
None of what you shared surprises me. What Freedom of Information (FOI) has revealed about City of Mississauga Corporate Security can only happen in a Corporate environment that would allow that to happen (a bit circular, I know). The one problem with the challenge you are handing me is that the City is certain to hide that kind of nepotism and corruption behind “employee negotiations” examption in the Municipal Freedom of Information Act.
Still. Truly intriguing and you have my promise that I will file an FOI on that. NOTE please that right now I’m maxed out on FOI’s meaning I daren’t file another until one comes back. I don’t want to be F&V’d (frivolous and vexatious) specifically V’d again.
Thanks for that tip.
Hello,
Thank you for looking into my [DELETED] challenge. It is appreciated that you edited my post. Will you please guide me in filing a FOI, where, how? Thanks.
Hi John,
Notice that I deleted what specifically you were hoping to investigate.
It’s funny that you should mention that issue because at least one other reader has mentioned concerns regarding that practice at City of Mississauga.
I’ll be following up with you in email regarding how to file Freedom of Information. Very easy to do. $5.00 plus search, severance and photocopying fees.
And you needn’t worry about being handed some outrageous bill. You’re advised before as to what it will cost you.
This is for anyone who smell or think they smell something fishy at the City of Mississauga. My $2000 in Freedom of Information confirms there’s one heck of a stink there. Meaning that your suspicions really should be followed up with a Freedom of Information request or two.
Anyone who would like assistance in how to file or formulate a Freedom of Information request, feel free to email me at:
mississauga_watch@yahoo.com
Final advice. If you want information/clartification from City of Mississauga do NOT ask City employees and especially management. They will LIE to you. And again, $2,000 worth of Freedom of Information has now given me the confidence to use “LIE” as in deliberate deception.