Abra Kadabra - Its Just a Book Entry!

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Today's Financial News

Today we are told by ACOA that Core Operational Funding for 2009-2012 has been approved for SWSDA. Here are the numbers... are you sitting down?!?

ACOA Funding  $489,047.00

Total Project Cost $2,370,000.00

Does enyone know what that means?

If you do, send us a note, provide a comment...

I note in the same announcement that the

 Guysborough RDA's funding is in the same ball park...

and they only cover one county with 9,000 people!

And then there is all this talk about how SWSDA needs more liquidity for bridge financing of the projects it manages for us all....

I don't know... but.... when I look at their latest financial report for projects here are the numbers I see....

Total Project Revenues to September 30, 2009

$1,482,498.00

Total Project Expenses to September 30, 2009

$990,068.00

Gee.... am I missing something?

Are project revenues really $492,430 more than Expenses?

So why does SWSDA need a Guarantee from the Province of $500,000?

Certainly not project financing.....??

DO YOU THINK?

Interesting Comments

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Thank you dear readers for your comments and sharing your thoughts on this stuff. On subject and within legal limits.... great. I understand that Timothy will share his views on some of these comments on his site SCT .... take a look later.

Ed

SWSDA Mid-Year Review

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VISIT THE YARMOUTH TOWN WEB SITE FOR A COPY

OF SWSDA'S MID-YEAR REVIEW

AND BUDGET

http://townofyarmouth.ca/agenda/files2/00200/231/swsda_2009_2010_mid_year_review.pdf

It makes for interesting reading dear reader. I invite you to share your views with others about the report.

ABOUT OUR 13 RDAs

Talk a Walk on the Wild Side

and Visit our RDA sites....

Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency

Web: http://www.annapolisdigby.com/

Antigonish Regional Development Authority
Web: http://www.antigonishrda.ns.ca/

Cape Breton County Economic Development Authority

Web: http://www.cbceda.org/

Colchester Regional Development Agency
Web: http://www.corda.ca/

Cumberland Regional Economic Development Association
Web: http://www.creda.net/

Greater Halifax Partnership

Web: http://www.greaterhalifax.com/

Guysborough County Regional Development Authority

Web: http://www.gcrda.ns.ca/

Hants Regional Development Authority

Web: http://www.hantscounty.com/

Kings Regional Development Agency

Web: http://www.kingsrda.ca/

Lunenburg Queens Regional Development Agency

Web: http://www.lqrda.ns.ca/

Pictou Regional Development Commission

Web: http://www.prdc.com/

South West Shore Development Authority
Web: http://www.swsda.com/

YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME

THANK YOU FOR SHARING

YOUR THOUGHTS

This blog is about making publicly funded organizations more accountable and documenting why they should be and when they aren't. Your comments are welcome and will be published as long as they are civil and focused on the issues relevant to the objective of this blog.

Contribution from Anonymous

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The Blame Game....

Moments ago one of my readers wrote a lengthy comment much of which had nothing to do with the issue of SWSDA Accountability..... which is what this blog is about.

However, I wanted to share with my readers Anon 3.53's thoughts of relevance to this blog.

Anon,  your suggestion that I not rant "... as it will not serve you well." is interesting and I thank you for it.... It helps to put the rest of your comments in context. Anon 3:53 went on to suggest that Mr. Hardy might be excused from doing his job properly and obeying the law because "... he answers to the Mayor..." adding that blame should be put in its proper place and that I should "... not brow beat the innocent."

First let me deal with the substantive portion of Anon 3:53's comments that are relevant to this blog about SWSDA Accountability. First, I wrote about Mr. Hardy because it is exactly his kind of behaviour yesterday that in my view has permitted SWSDA to become a rogue organization over the past fourteen years.

As far as I know, Mr. Hardy is his own man, employed in a senior position of trust by the taxpayers and citizens of this community and paid reasonably well to do the job. He is hardly the "innocent" suggested by Anon 3.53... It is his decision alone to do or not do his job as the law requires him. No Employer can oblige you to do things that are wrong, or ignore or subvert the spirit and/or the intent of the law. No Employer.... and certainly no Mayor. What Mr. Hardy did yesterday was wrong. Plain and simple.... in my view.... and if his employer wants him to do things like that, Mr Hardy has a responsibility to advise his superior that the action he has been directed to take is wrong and he won't do it. May not be easy... but that would be the right decision and action to take.

As for Mayor Delaney, I don't even know if he is aware that this is being done in the name of the Town or how many hours a day he is actually spending in the office or working on Town affairs given his state of health. No dear Anon 3:53.... can't buy your argment ... but thank you for providing another perspective!

Two Sides to Every Coin

REPLY TO ANON 6:49

Dear Anon 6:49..... The arguments you pose for withholding information from the public, contrary to the intent of the Freedom of Information Act have been used to abuse the system before.

1. I believe that if correspondence has been sent to any municipality for a decision of council, it should be forwarded to councillors immediately.... not hoarded by theMayor/Warden and the Clerk/CAO until the next meeting of council.

2. If councillors are sent correspondence received by the municipality, when it is received, public access to these documents should be ensured as stipulated in the Municipal Government Act.

Otherwise, how can they consult with taxpayers and voters before reaching a decision about a subject that did not come up in the last election..... do they really need more time than the average citizen to digest the document... and do they have to come  to a conclusion about it before they've consulted the great unwashed masses and before they meet and hear the views of other members of council?

The purpose of this legislation is to provide an opportunity for informed public participation in the management of our communities. Any actions in my view that subvert that intention as spelled out in the Municipal Government Act is wrong.....

In my humble opinion... I would like to think that Brian Holland and Kirk Cox would make the document available to the public if asked .... however, since I live in the Town and my taxes pay a part of Mr. Hardy's salary I would have hoped that he would have done the honourable thing by a local taxpayer... he didn't!

No.... dear Anon 6:49... you're entitled to your views..... but... I don't buy your logic.

OBSTRUCTION ... YOUR NAME IS FAILURE!

THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING!

Well dear reader.... my faith in the good guys winning has been renewed .... after my rampage this afternoon about what I viewed as Wilmont Hardy's efforts to subvert my rights and ignore his legal and moral obligations respecting access to public documents I embarked on a plan to rectify the situation....

It wasn't long before I received a copy of the very letter Wilmont had decided to deprive me of .....  from another source in the leaky SWDSA support boat ... abusing citizens' rights to access to information and informed participation.

First.... let me thank the ethical Board or staff member of SWSDA who leaked the document.

Second.... let me share with you why getting this document before the December 1st meeting of municipal politicians is so critical.

You probably do not know that many of our Councillors have not been provided with a copy of the letter in question. To my knowledge, no Council in Shelburne County has as yet had a fullsome, informed discussion about the letter or detemined what action if any they might take in response to Mr. Anderson's demands.

YET .... next Tuesday they are scheduled to come together to discuss what to do about creating a new RDA...NOW I ASK YOU.... WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE!?!

Come on Mayors, Wardens CAOs and Clerks.... make copies of this letter and let's get it on a public agenda for discussion as quickly as possible....... so we can have an informed public discussion about this important issue that may shape public dialogue and action respecting socio-economic development here at home for a number of years to come. Public input muight even prove beneficial in guiding your decision-making

LET US FINALLY CUT OUT THE MALEVOLENT SECRECY THAT HAS PLAGUED OUR COMMUNITIES FOR FAR TOO LONG....!!

ps... Tomorrow I'll publish the letter that Wilmont Hardy refused to give me today..... gotta love the sweet irony ..... with thanks to our sources..... I now prepare for my nightly retirement with a clear conscience and a renewed faith in the inherent goodness of human kind!

Ed

!!! OBSTRUCTION !!!

YOUR NAME IS WILMONT HARDY

Next Tuesday, elected officials in Shelburne County will meet to begin discussions about the future RDA that will service municipalities and communities in Shelburne County. When they do, I am told, they will do so facing a letter from Mr. Anderson of SWSDA fame, demanding that each municipality pledge their future alliance and allegiance to SWSDA as each municipality's choice of RDA for the future. They have been told by Mr. Anderson that they have until December 11 to do so.

Now..... I am reporting this information third hand or fourth hand because I haven't seen the letter from Mr. Anderson. It would be nice to have a copy so that I can share it with my dear readers and communicate my views on the subject to those elected officials whose salaries I pay - before they meet December 1st. However, I am told by Mr. Hardy our erstwhile Town Clerk that I must wait until the day after the December 1 meeting of elected officials, "because Council has not yet reviewed the letter."

As I explained to Mr. Hardy, the law is clear. The public has a right to see or have a copy of any letter in the possession of the Municipality, when it receives the letter. Of course, there are limited exceptions for withholding documents, however this document doesn't fall into any excluded category.

However, to provide municipalities with the necessary time to determine if documents should be withheld, the law provides municipalities with up to 30 days to respond to a request for information. The use of this clause by Mr. Hardy to withold this document until some later date (he said I could have it after the Council meeting on December 2nd) is wrong and contrary to the intent of the law. Further, it is a clear, unadulterated abuse of a position of trust given to those like Mr. Hardy who are entrusted with the responsibility to apply the law correctly and justly.

Of course, I shouldn't be surprised at Mr. Hardy's disregard for his responsibilities to the citizens he is paid to serve. He is the same fella who has the temerity to charge $0.50 a page for copies of documents provided by the Town of Shelburne, when the law clearly states that municipalities are only allowed to charge the actual cost of making a copy. When I pointed that out to Mr. Hardy some time ago he smiled and said that was not the way he interpreted the law.

LITTLE WONDER CITIZENS FEEL DISENFRANCHISED

SWSDA Finances September 30, 2009

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Highlights From SWSDA's

Latest Comparative Balance Sheet

At at 9/30/2009 and 8/31/2009

Total Accounts Receivable

9/30/2009 ... $887,333.61

8/31/2009 ... $906,921.66

Total Current Assets

9/30/2009 ... $3,405,285.46

8/31/2009 ... $3,398,018.48

Accounts Payable

9/30/2009 ... $901,767.05

8/31/2009 ... $604,589.42

Total Liabilities

9/30/2009 ... $3,792,160.18

8/31/2009 ... $3,718,895.88

SWSDA Project Report Shelburne County

September 30, 2009

Shelburne Sound Stage

Budget ..... $75,000.00

Expenses...$27,768.00

Shelburne Tourism

Budget ..... $140,000.00

Expenses ..$13,588.00

Shelburne JCP

Budget ..... $ 48,500.00

Expenses ...$21,527.00

Does anyone know what the Shelburne Sound Stage Project is and who is paying for it?

CONCERNED CITIZENS RDA MEETING

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PUBLIC DISCUSSIONS OFF TO A GOOD START

Last night's public meeting drew a crowd of more than 60 interested Shelburne County Citizens including a good cross-section of citizens, business leaders and politicians from across the county. Will write more over the weekend.... prior commitments today.

Follow-up on this story will be posted to the http://www.shelburnedevelopment.blogspot.com/ site.

And of course for the news angle on this story go to Timothy Gillespie's site http://www.shelburnecountytoday.com/

Six More Days to Vote!

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88% WANT PUBLIC INPUT!!

Today's new survey question generates near unanimity amongst voters for public input in defining the new RDA.

Have you voted? Only six more days left to record your views and respond to the survey.

Check it out ... just to the left of this posting.

New Survey Question

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Have you taken a moment to express your views on our new survey question?

Answers About SPDA

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The Shelburne Park Development Agency (SPDA)

Dear Reader,

In the mid-90s the Federal Government was eager to dispose of many of their former naval bases in Nova Scotia. They did so by encouraging the establishment of local non-profit groups to administer dollars set aside for transforming these former military facilities into local development sites. Monies set aside for this purpose were funneled through ACOA and was administered by these local groups.

In the case of the former Shelburne Naval Station, I am told some $5 million dollars plus the old base at the entrance to Shelburne Harbour was handed to SPDA's Board of Directors. In 1999, SPDA transfered all of its assets to SWSDA and ceased to exist.

In the coming months a lot of information will become available at trial about SPDA and SWSDA's management of these assets and local development efforts. Believe me.... I could write a book.

Until then, I am not at liberty to share that information with readers since most of it was acquired as part of the discovery process in Ocean Produce International's litigation with SWSDA. As it is disclosed at trial I will publish further details that I've unearthed about SPDA/SWSDA's use of these resources.

For the reader who keeps asking for details about SPDA .... I guess you'll just have to wait along with everyone else. Your only alternative is to bypass this blog and go directly to the horse's mouth and make application to ACOA or SWSDA under Freedom of Information for the information you are seeking. They are the only two bodies I know of who hold these original files and managed these monies and resources. ... Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Dear Anonymous 5:04

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Can't publish your comments with the word "illegal" in them. Remove word and re-submit if you want me to post.

Still Pushing on the Rope!

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NERVE... WITH A CAPITAL N!!

You will recall that in August,  Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations' Mr. Wills pointed out to Mr. Anderson that as an RDA SWSDA was not allowed to own land and as a Municipal Body its financing had to be approved by the Minister and provided under the Municipal Finance Act.

Here is Mr. Anderson's reply.... it speaks volumes about Mr. Anderson's and his ability to twist facts to accommodate his view of the world. The legislation is clear as is Justice Hood's decision of last November. Any body, including a Society whose Board is effectively controlled by representatives of Municipal Governments is a "Municipal Body" by definition and subject to the Freedom of Information provisions of the Municipal Government Act.

Try as he might... you can't change what you've been in the past....  if it looks like a duck, mates with a duck, flies like a duck, sheds duck feathers and eats from the ducks' dish... it is considered a duck.......

Of course Mr. Anderson indicates that SWSDA's well paid lawyers don't agree!!

Surprise... Surprise...! Mr. Anderson also assured his Board of Directors for more than two years that SWSDA's lawyers said that SWSDA was not subject to the Freedom of Information provisions of the Municipal Government Act....

Guess they were wrong then.... wonder if they're wrong again?!?

More later!!!

Getting SWSDA Accountability Going Again

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Dear Readers,

 As you may or may not know ..... I recently started a business and economic development consulting company here in Shelburne called Strategic Perspectives Consulting Associates and its been busy since last January.

In addition .... I am a Director and agent for a Nova Scotia company called International Resource Development Corporation with its office here in Shelburne and its headquarters in Montreal. Last January  the President of IRDC and I put together an international consortium with companies in England, Denmark and Holland and bid on a major standing offer contract with the government of Canada ..... we've just been advised that we were successful and been selected to sign a multi-year contract with the Canadian International Development Agency. This morning I finished the draft operational contract for our consortium and its now on its way to our partners. We expect work under the contract to start early in the new year.

And... I am President of an internet radio station in Alberta that my son Kirk and his wife now operate as Leduc County's Home Radio Station...you can listen at http://www.leducradio.com/ . Last week we celebrated our first year of operation.

Finally....  Ocean Produce International is in the last stages of preperation for our lawsuit against SWSDA. This litigation has been going on for ten years and trial is scheduled to begin January 18th, 2010 for four weeks in Halifax. As you can imagine Willa and I've been intimately involved on a daily basis with trial preperation and will be for the next few months.

All this to explain why I haven't been posting as much as some of you would like!! I promise to make an effort to post at least once a week until we get to trial... but I expect posts will be short. ... Your patience in the interim is greatly appreciated.

Ed

Listen to Lawyer's Presentation

On Tuesday the 13th of October I attended a meeting of the Municipality of Barrington's Council meeting and I recorded the following parts of that meeting.

1.  Presentation by Attorney C. Nickerson on the Municipal Government Act, SWSDA and YAIC (5m)

2. Intervention from the audience. (800kb)

3. Council consideration of a request from SWSDA for a comfort and support letter to Minister Paris for a loan guarantee of $500,000 and disposal of the $1.75 million mortgage SWSDA now holds on the former Shelburne Naval Base. (2.5 m)

Note to readers. So here's the problem!!!

I make use of Google's free blog technology because it is relatively simple to use. However, simplicity imposes limits on what you can do with the technology. One of the things I haven't figured out is how to put tape recordings on my blogs.

Sooo.... I am reduced to the following offer. Go to Timothy's Web page or click on the following address...
http://www.shelburnecountytoday.com/docs/nickerson.mp3 to listen to the first of these recordings.

Alternatively..... If you are interested in receiving a copy of any or all of these recordings please send me a note telling me which one or ones you want to copy for your files at aacayer@gmail.com and I will forward a copy to you.

SWSDA Audited Financial Statement 2008/2009

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JUST FOR YOU DEAR READER

Following is the subject statement. My comments to follow in the coming days. (You may have to print them to truly be able to understand them.)

SWSDA Minutes

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SWSDA's Minutes from their June 17, 2009 meeting recently appeared on their web site at www.swsda.com/index.php?=know

Lots of in camera stuff and lots of items where you have to read between the lines.... Take a look.

Hard to believe ... that SWSDA is a "municipal body" .... or a real RDA working for the benefit of its member municipalities, accountable to taxpayers who are paying the freight.