All the Chair’s Men timeline
The road of the All The Chair’s Men story about the tainted hiring of Niagara Region CAO Carmen D’Angelo has been long and winding. The Standard investigated for nine months and has published 37 stories to date, including three exposés. Two investigations were commissioned by Niagara Region. And now there is an Ontario Ombudsman’s probe.
2016:
April 8, 2016: Following months of conflict with Regional Chair Alan Caslin, Niagara Region CAO Harry Schlange leaves for Brampton. His resignation letter is critical of the conduct of regional council and warns the Region’s credibility is at stake.
April 19, 2016: Carmen D’Angelo, CAO of Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, downloads two drafts of regional chair reports about the CAO. The reports are not presented to council until May.
May/June 2016: Toronto recruiting firm The Phelps Group is hired to operate the CAO selection process. Council forms the CAO hiring committee with Caslin, Tony Quirk, Sandra Easton, Bob Gale and Frank Campion as members. Caslin becomes the liaison with the Phelps Group, and his policy director Robert D’Amboise is allowed to attend committee meetings.
Sept. 13, 2016: D’Angelo receives “opportunity brief” from Phelps Group about the CAO job opening.
Sept. 20, 2016: Memo listing five candidates for CAO created by D’Amboise is downloaded by D’Angelo. Senior staff leaders are told in a meeting by a regional director that D’Angelo will be the next CAO because “the votes are in.”
Sept. 25, 2016: D’Angelo downloads a document containing information about another three CAO candidates.
Oct. 4, 2016: D’Angelo has his first interview with the selection committee.
Oct. 6, 2016: D’Angelo receives Phelp Groups invitation for an Oct. 12 interview and is given five questions to answer in a written presentation. He asks Jason Tamming, then Caslin’s communications director, for help in crafting his written answers.
Oct. 8, 2016: D’Angelo downloads the “JT Q&A Suggestions” memo, written by Tamming, which answers the five questions. Oct. 10, 2016: D’Angelo downloads the CAO interview questions memo, written by D’Amboise.
Oct. 12, 2016: D’Angelo attends final interview for CAO job.
Oct. 31, 2016: Regional council votes
17-8 to hire D’Angelo for $230,000 a year for three years with an option for another two pending council approval.
2017
Oct. 2017: Caslin unilaterally extends and amends D’Angelo’s contract, giving him an extra year, a golden parachute of a full year’s pay if his contract is not renewed in 2022 and three years pay if he is fired with or without cause.
2018
April 6, 2018: The Standard publishes its first exposé on the CAO hiring, pointing to the five candidates memo written by D’Amboise.
April 12, 2018: Council hires Toronto lawyer Marvin Huberman to investigate.
June 5, 2018: Huberman clears the process of wrongdoing but finds no digital evidence and accepts “improbable” statements by D’Angelo as credible.
Regional council votes matter closed and passes motion apologizing to D’Angelo and D’Amboise.
July 26, 2018: The Standard publishes the All The Chair’s Men expose, detailing the other memos written by D’Amboise and Tamming that D’Angelo downloaded.
Regional council votes to have regional staff search for the documents.
During a closed meeting, D’Angelo tells councillors he asked for help from Tamming. Councillors are also informed D’Angelo contract was extended and it would cost around $1 million to fire him.
Aug. 14, 2018: Two special council meetings are scheduled, one called for by council, the other by Caslin.
Aug. 16, 2018: First special meeting. Aug. 23, 2018: Caslin’s special meeting held and he admits he extended D’Angelo’s contract, which is discussed behind closed doors. Council calls for the Ontario Ombudsman to investigate D’Angelo’s hiring and his contract.
Aug. 30, 2018: Ontario’s Ombudsman Paul Dube announces he will investigate D’Angelo’s hiring and his contract.