Regional councillors blame press for deaths
Five months into its first year in office, Niagara’s new regional council has taken a page out of the book of its predecessor, decrying leaks to reporters and attacking local news outlets.
In two council committee meetings this week — Tuesday’s public works committee and Wednesday’s corporate services committee — councillors blamed the press for deaths at the Burgoyne Bridge in St. Catharines and complained about breaches of confidentiality.
As councillors moved to deal with a confidential legal report during the corporate services committee meeting, Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop called for leaks to stop.
“I have a lot of concern about what has gone on at the Region over the last four years,” he said. “I would have thought after the inaugural meeting we would not have the types of problems we had before with respect to leaks. So I am just wondering what the sense is in us going into closed session if I can read tomorrow in the newspaper what was discussed.”
In an interview with The Standard, Regional Chair Jim Bradley said a recent story in the paper about an in-camera meeting during which councillors voted against suing former regional chair Alan Caslin over his role in the tainted 2016 chief administrative officer hiring and contract extension, had unnerved some
councillors.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Bradley suggested reporting on closed-door meetings does not tell the full story.
“When (information) does get leaked, it only provides part of what happened,” Bradley said. “Again, it presents to the public an entirely different picture of what may have happened in a confidential session.”
In an interview, however, Bradley conceded The Standard’s reporting on the Caslin issue was accurate. During Wednesday’s committee meeting he called the story a “play-by-play” of the meeting in question.
The news media was also the focus of some councillors Tuesday during a debate at the public works committee meeting on suicide barriers for the Burgoyne Bridge.
Fort Erie Coun. Tom Insinna suggested journalists are responsible for deaths at the bridge because of coverage of the bridge’s construction and costs.
“This particular structure was highlighted in the media over and over about construction, about whether there was a criminal investigation and everything else prior (to the recent number of deaths),” Insinna said. “And then all of a sudden things start to happen. So I am asking, is that not an important, larger role than it played before, as a magnet per se?”
Insinna also was upset The Standard published a story about a report recommending the barriers, which is a public document, before the committee debated it.
Niagara Falls Coun. Bob Gale directly accused The Standard of irresponsible reporting with a story published last week about how councillors intended to vote on the issue of barriers.
“We have media, one particular outlet, that went out of their way to call every one of our councillors, do an ‘opinion piece’ on it, do stats on who is going which way, who is going another way,” said Gale. “That was wrong … they have the right to do this, but it is not in the best interest of the community and the people around here.”
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati also said local news outlets are responsible for deaths at the bridge.
“I think there is no doubt there is a responsibility of the media to have appropriate coverage. We are dealing with the most vulnerable people in society who are impacted by sensational coverage and reporting,” said Diodati, who did not cite any specific press reports. “That’s what the media has been doing. So I am going to call them out and ask them to be respectful of the most vulnerable members, because it’s obvious what’s happened since coverage has picked up.”
The public works committee voted to build barriers at the Burgoyne Bridge.