An instructive tale of two controversies
WILL GRAVES
Today, let’s compare and contrast two local controversies. They are both potentially very serious and the way the parties involved are reacting is telling.
First, there is Stoney Creek Coun. Brad Clark. He is a political veteran, a former transportation minister and labour minister in the Harris Progressive Conservative government. He has run for mayor. He has been around the block more than a few times.
Recently Clark had a telephone conversation with a constituent. Not just any constituent, but one who used to be an undercover police officer and is an outspoken critic of local police and politicians.
During the call, which the constituent secretly recorded, Clark can be heard bemoaning a city building permit error that ended up costing a lot of money, because permits were issued incorrectly and the homeowner had to be compensated for the city’s error. Clark can be heard asking: “So what’s going on in the building department? And how come building permits are being issued when they shouldn’t be issued? And who’s paying who to get those building permits issued?”
There is no evidence such allegations are true. There is no evidence of corruption in the city’s building department. Why on earth a veteran councillor would share such things with a constituent is anyone’s guess.
When the constituent posted the conversation on social media, Clark was quick to react. On Sunday, he retracted the comments, calling them “unfounded rumours and inferences, adding: “I should not have been discussing such baseless rumours with anyone” and he apologized to his council colleagues for his “unacceptable response.” The matter has been referred to the city’s integrity commissioner — a third party company — for investigation, and everyone has gone silent.
The good news for Clark, if there is any, is that he stood up and apologized for his mistake. If he thinks he has heard the end of it, he is kidding himself. But at least his first reaction was to own up and apologize, which should stand him in good stead.
Now let’s talk about the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board. A recently-released independent report, commissioned after a student trustee complained of racist comments and attitudes she witnessed from other trustees, found evidence racism does exist among some trustees at the board. One made anti-Muslim comments, some demeaned Black Lives Matter and another trustee referred to community advocates as “Twitter trolls.”
The board has acknowledged it has a problem and must do more and do better. But beyond that its response has been largely tone deaf and inadequate.
First it said that the four trustees found to have been at the centre of the issues would face “no further sanctions.”
Suggesting that trustees found to have exhibited racism and intolerant behaviour should not face sanctions other than being identified is unacceptable. It is a clear failure, and the fact that the board later reversed itself and will consider further sanctions is evidence of that.
Student advocates are demanding the trustees be removed. The province is monitoring the situation, but says there is no mechanism for removing trustees under the circumstances.
To add insult to injury, some of the offending trustees even voted on motions concerning the report and the sanctions question. That is patently ridiculous.
The public board must reconsider its position. It is on the wrong side of equity, fairness and history and risks lasting reputational damage in the community.
And what message is it sending to the most important people involved — the students?
Danny Maciocia held true to his word Tuesday.
Last week, the Montreal Alouettes GM said he expected to look for defensive help in Canadian Football League free agency. Maciocia did just that Tuesday, signing six defensive players hours after the free-agent period began.
Almondo Sewell, a six-time CFL all-star with Edmonton, was among four American defensive linemen Maciocia signed. The others included Nick Usher (Edmonton), Michael Wakefield (Ottawa) and Woody Baron, who played his first two seasons with Montreal (2018-19). Linebackers Patrick Levels and Chris Ackie, of Cambridge, Ont., both returned to Montreal after signing with Hamilton and Toronto, respectively, last year.
“We were trying to identify some people who can rush the passer, that can create some havoc behind the line of scrimmage, who can create turnovers and shorten the field for our offence,” Maciocia said during a video conference.
Macoicia said Sewell and Ackie signed two-year deals. The other four were one-year contracts.
Maciocia also had an agreement in place with American defensive back Ciante Evans but said the player contacted him Tuesday and had a change of heart.
Evans did, signing later Tuesday with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
In the six-foot-four, 288-pound Sewell, Montreal gets a six-time CFL all-star who has registered 282 tackles and 60 sacks in 139 career games with Edmonton. Sewell also helped the Alberta franchise win a Grey Cup title in 2015.
Veteran American defensive lineman Micah Johnson signed with Saskatchewan. The six-foot-two, 277-pound Johnson spent the ’19 season with the Riders, registering 26 tackles and four sacks before signing with the B.C. Lions.
The Toronto Argonauts shored up their offence by signing running back John White, 29, who ran for 1,004 yards and seven TDs in ’19 with B.C. The five-foot-eight, 195pound tailback spent his first four CFL seasons in Edmonton (’13-14 to ’16-17) where he was named a CFL all-star in ’14.
B.C. signed American running back Shaquille Cooper, who suited up for seven games over the past two seasons with Edmonton. In other moves Tuesday: Ottawa re-signed American linebacker Don Unamba. The Redblacks also signed defensive lineman Stefan Charles of Oshawa, who joined Edmonton late in the ‘19 season.
Calgary signed Canadian QB Michael O’Connor, an Ottawa native who dressed for nine games as a rookie with Toronto in ’19.
B.C. signed American receiver Lucky Whitehead, who spent the ’19 season with Grey Cup-champion Winnipeg, registering 52 catches for 522 yards and two TDs.
Saskatchewan signed offensive lineman Evan Johnson, a Regina native who played collegiately at the University of Saskatchewan. Johnson spent three seasons with Ottawa. The club also signed twins Jordan and Justin Herdman-Reed, Winnipeg-born linebackers who played together at Simon Fraser. And finally, the Riders signed American defensive back Lorenzo Jerome and Canadian defensive back Godfrey Onyeka.
American running back James Wilder Jr. came out of retirement to sign with Edmonton. Wilder spent three seasons with Toronto (2017-19). He was the CFL’s top rookie in ’17 and capped his season helping the Argos win a Grey Cup.
PITTSBURGH — Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins are turning to a former rival to help them keep the Stanley Cup window open for Sidney Crosby and company. The team hired ex-Philadelphia Flyers goalie and general manager Ron Hextall as the team’s GM on Tuesday.
Hextall replaces Jim Rutherford, who resigned abruptly last month. The Pens also hired longtime National Hockey League exec Brian Burke as director of hockey operations.
The hires come less than two weeks after Rutherford, who built a roster around longtime captain Crosby that brought consecutive Stanley Cups to Pittsburgh in 2016 and ’17, stepped down with six months left on his contract, saying only “it was time.”
Hextall, 56, won 240 games during his 13-year career, 11 of which came in Philadelphia, where the Flyers frequently battled Lemieux — now Pittsburgh’s co-owner — and the Penguins for bragging rights. Hextall retired in 1999 and has spent most of the past two decades as a league executive, including a four-year stint as general manager of the Flyers.
Burke, 65, has spent more than 30 years in management and was the GM in Anaheim when the Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007. He is also the one-time president and GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs.