-------- Your tax dollars at work ---------
A LITTLE HISTORY.....
As I understand it, back in the mid nineties the Feds decided they wanted out of their obligations for naval bases here and they helped set up locally-managed organizations under ACOA's watchful eyes to assume responsibility and take over the facilities and properties in each community. Two of those were Cornwallis and Shelburne and each received $5,000,000 to help them in their transition.
By 1997 rumblings in Cornwallis from the local community resulted in the return of the control of the former base to ACOA whose man then went about setting up policies and a management structure for development of the former Cornwallis Base properties. Eventually the mandate was handed back to an open, accountable and dynamic group of interested citizens. The rest is history.
Here in Shelburne, the Shelburne Park Development Agency operated for three years and handed over its properties, assets, monies and mandate to SWSDA in the spring of 1999.
QUESTION
Would Shelburne County be better off with their own RDA?
Here are the facts:
1. SWSDA is the only RDA that covers municipalities in three counties. Most cover only one county.
2. Guysborough with far less population than Shelburne County has its own RDA.
3. The socio-economic base of Yarmouth is very different from Shelburne County.
4. Yarmouth has seized control of SWSDA with its inter-locking directorates and agencies including the Yarmouth Port Authority, Yarmouth Airport Authority, Yarmouth Industrial Commission and assorted other bodies.
5. SWSDA has encouraged the politicization of our development authority and with its larger population Yarmouth-based politicians dominate Shelburne County through SWSDA.
6. SWSDA's penchant for secrecy has resulted in the failure to adequately inform municipal politicians who are not on SWSDA's Board. I am told that Pat Nickerson's records respecting SWSDA were not held in the Municipality's filing systems and I have heard Paulette Scott refuse to divulge SWSDA information to Council or taxpayers because she was sworn to secrecy.
7. I am told that SWSDA and the Municipality agree that the Municipality of Shelburne's taxpayers owe SWSDA millions of dollars and that the purported debt has been held over the Municipality's head. I have asked for confirmation about this supposed debt but been told it is confidential. I do know that a few years ago the SWSDA Board agreed to initiate proceedings to sue the Municipality over the supposed debt.
Personally, I think Shelburne County should have its own RDA. Indeed, if necessary and should we not be able to convince western Shelburne county to join us, we could still justify our RDA in eastern Shelburne County.... We have as much population as Guysborough's RDA.
Ombudsman Act
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*****TRANSFORMING CLIENTS INTO CITIZENS******
CONCERNED CITIZENS PETITION WORKS!
It took a while but the petition from Concerned Citizens of Shelburne
app...
15 years ago
9 comments:
I agree, Shelburne Co. should fly solo.
There are a lot of folks who weren't around when the Feds closed CFS Shelburne, Feb l994; and I can't find the following information:
l. Who originally received the transition funding of $5 million. Was it the Municipality in '94; or Shelburne Park Development Agency (SPDA) in '96?
2. Which leads to, who was delegated to the SPDA as CEO and Board of Directors? Were they solely Municipality of Shelburne personnel?
3. When SPDA handed the Base (with its assets, monies, properties, and mandate) over to SWSDA in '99 what remained of the $5 mil. after 3 yrs. in SPDA's hands?
4. What actions created the "purported" debt the Municipality of Shelburne owes SWSDA?
5. How has that affected the working relationship between SWSDA and the Municipality of Shelburne? This question leads to many possible scenarios.
6. Did Nickerson and Scott release their SWSDA related paperwork to the municipality when they "departed", or is it still in their possession?
Thanks for all of the information you are providing us!
Here we go again with secrecy and lack of transparency issues.
How can the Warden of the Municipality of Shelburne hide the information on the debt to SWSDA, when it's the taxpayers who are going to bear the brunt of this bad news.
Warden Embree, show us the dollar figure owed, and give us time to batten down the hatches to prepare for a hefty increase in taxes. Enough already of this chicanery!
I agree with the posts which allude to Anderson and his tight grip with power, especially in Yamouth. What if there was information which showed that one civic leader in southwestern Nova Scotia donated over 31% of one singel candidate's election donations in the provincial election? Wouldn;t it be innapropriate for one candidate to receive a full 31% of his political donations from one person? To me that shows a complete attempt to buy power. Your thoughts??
Apologies to Mr. Cayer for the first posting. I know the onus is on me to gather the info I'm lacking; just thought you'd been through this so many times, it was worth a try.
I know enough not to contact my municipal councillor - LOL. I've e-mailed her twice, and received one reply telling me she was going on vacation (Mar) and would reply on her return. I'm still waiting, but know where my vote won't be going the next time around.
Yes, my next step will be to download the FOIPOP forms. It would be great if anyone "out there" has any info to share.
I've delved as far as I can on the Shelburne Co. Today website, and various other Shelburne Park Dev. sites, and am amazed that so much was known for so long. It is mindboggling that we got this far without a criminal investigation resulting from the questionable misuse of million$.
Here we peons worry about dotting our i's and crossing our t's when filing our taxes, and this is allowed to pass muster without a full independent audit.
I see now that the last Mayor, Parker Comeau, sought a criminal investigation, but his plea for assistance in the matter fell on deaf ears. Belated thanks to Mr. Comeau for doing what he could. It is very telling when both mayors of the county couldn't get any assistance on this matter.
What would a forensic audit team would find in those SWSDA files? Just the "Stationery and Legal Fees" file would speak volumes.
I have e-mailed the RCMP and asked them to investigate SWSDA for cooking the books, They said NO
Same for the auditor general, he said NO also
What was the reason the Auditor General gave for not investigating SWSDA? The RCMP I can believe from all I have heard...
About the Auditor general
A copy/or/quote from what they sent me
Thank you for your recent email to Auditor General Jacques Lapointe regarding whether an audit has been completed at Southwest Shore Development Authority.
I am an Assistant Auditor General with the Office of the Auditor General of Nova Scotia. This Office has not completed an audit at Southwest Shore Development Authority. Although the Authority does receive funding from the Province, regional development authorities are outside this Office's jurisdiction. As such, we are not able to audit the operations of regional development authorities, including Southwest Shore Development Agency.
If you have a complaint regarding the Southwest Shore Development Authority, the Office of the Ombudsman may be able to assist you. You can find further information on the Office of the Ombudsman on its website - http://www.gov.ns.ca/ombu/default.asp
I trust this information addresses your questions.
Regarding the RCMP, If a complaint came from a board member they might investigate
To think we've wasted our time calling for a full audit from our N.S. Auditor General. Who would believe this would be the response?
"...outside this Office's jurisdiction."
If there is a proud Shelburne Co. board member left standing, take what you know to the RCMP. It appears that's the only route if we are to put an end to this charade. We've wasted fifteen years, and the taxpayers certainly don't look forward to more from this inept RDA.
You were elected to represent the people, not Frank Anderson.
If the current government falls, it will be our chance at a mulligan.
Only with a forensic audit of SWSDA's books will we know where we stand, and then we can regroup and plan for the future without acrimony or partisanship - I'm not hoping for too much am I?
If we are lucky, someone with more acumen than Murray Scott will be filling the role of Minister of ERD by then.
The history of SWSDA has proven that politics shouldn't play a role in the workings of an RDA. It's time for a clean sweep of this dysfunctional white elephant.
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