REGION WAS VICTIM
Grimsby Coun. Tony Quirk says Niagara Region council was wronged by media in Dec. 7 incident
Grimsby regional Coun. Tony Quirk says regional council did nothing to infringe a free and open press when the local government illegally seized a reporter’s computer and notes in December.
During Thursday’s committee of the whole meeting where councillors were debating possible changes to council’s media policies, Quirk said people who claim the Region acted wrongly on Dec. 7 are blaming the victim.
“We were violated,” Quirk said of the incident during which a Standard reporter’s equipment was confiscated before he was ejected from the regional building. “I see a lot of victim blaming going on here and we are so quick to do that, it is inappropriate.”
Quirk’s commentary was in reaction to comments made by Welland Coun. Paul Grenier who was unhappy with recommendations to change the Region’s media policies.
Grenier said the recommendations fall short of showing “proper contrition” for the incident to make amends with the local news media and building stronger relationships with the press.
The review of the media policy was triggered by the Dec. 7 incident, during which reporter Bill Sawchuk’s gear was unlawfully seized. He was covering that evening’s council meeting, when it moved behind closed doors for a discussion of code of conduct issues.
During in-camera meetings, the public — including the press — must leave council chambers. Sawchuk left his computer and notes on the media table.
Local blogger Preston Haskell left his digital recorder behind. He said the recorder was inadvertently left running.
Both Sawchuk and Haskell’s equipment was seized.
Four hours later, after calls to regional staff by a Standard reporter and the paper’s lawyer, Sawchuk’s equipment was returned.
The provincial ombudsman’s office is investigating the incident. The Region turned Haskell’s recorder over to the NRP. Police are not laying any charges against the blogger, but are holding the device pending the outcome of the ombudsman investigation.
On Tuesday, Region CAO Carmen D’Angelo and a police spokeswoman said a copy of Haskell’s recording — redacted to omit any discussion that is considered to be protected by solicitor-client privilege — has recently been given to the ombudsman’s investigators.
During Thursday’s committee meeting, Quirk said he took issue with Greiner’s statements, saying that the press and government have a confrontational relationship by nature.
“Nothing in the past that has happened in this chamber has detracted” from a free and open news media, Quirk said, and claimed some councillors have a desire to “throw ourselves under the bus for what took place on Dec 7.”
Rather, he said, it was council that was victimized and the government has the right to protect “our rights and our privileges as an elected body.”
Quirk twice said that councillors should not prejudge the outcome of the ombudsman’s investigation, but rather wait to see if the watchdog agency says “whether we were in the right or in the wrong.”
However, Quirk also said the Region did nothing wrong even after Regional Chair Alan Caslin warned him not to discuss the investigation.
It is the not the first time Quirk opined on the outcome of the investigation. In December, Quirk told a Niagara resident by email that he was “certain” the ombudsman will not share the opinion of the local media about the Dec. 7 incident.
Quirk’s belief that the Region did nothing wrong stands in contrast to statements made by Caslin shortly after the incident.
In an interview with The Standard in December, Caslin said the Region had no authority to seize anyone’s property.
For more on this story go to www.stcatharinesstandard.ca.