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The Corporation of the City of Mississauga's response to Bill 130 --Amendments to the 2001 Municipal Act. The Bill gives Ontario new powers while claiming to ensure "greater accountability:.

This document crafted by The Corporation of the City of Mississauga states that it is a "fact that all municipalities are responsible and accountable governments." (see Paragraph 3).

Yet in Paragraph 4, The Corporation of the City of Mississauga urges the Province to remove "sections 239.1 and 239.2" of Bill 130 which --you guessed it-- are the bill's ACCOUNTABILITY SECTIONS!

Clearly when Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister, John Gerretsen stated, "With the authority comes the responsibility and a greater level of accountability," he needed to define "accountability".

It gets better, the statement --"fact that all municipalities are responsible and accountable governments." exists nowhere else on the planet. It is a FACT that the statement "all municipalities are responsible and accountable governments" was crafted by The Corporation of the City of Mississauga's Best and Brightest.

And then The Corporation of the City of Mississauga --believing itself to the shining beacon of "responsible and accountable" governance DUCKS "responsibility and accountability" by urging that the "responsibility and accountability" sections be "deleted" from the new bill!

And speaking of the "new" Bill 130?

In a NOVEMBER 15, 2006 Media Advisory, Ontario Ombudsman, Andre Marin stated:

"Newly minted municipal politicians across Ontario will be faced with implementing a flawed Municipal Act if the current Bill 130 is passed into legislation," said Ombudsman of Ontario Andre Marin.

"flawed" and clearly FRAUD also.

And if The Province "buys" what The Corporation of the City of Mississauga wrote here?

Feel free to look up "MALVERSATION" in a dictionary.

What follows is a press release from Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin regarding the flaws in Bill 130.

NOVEMBER 15, 2006 - 10:00 ET

Ombudsman Ontario: Media Advisory-Municipal Act Amendments Flawed, Says Ombudsman Andre Marin

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Nov. 15, 2006) - "Newly minted municipal politicians across Ontario will be faced with implementing a flawed Municipal Act if the current Bill 130 is passed into legislation," said Ombudsman of Ontario Andre Marin.

Addressing the members of the Standing Committee on Government at the Legislature today, the Ombudsman said that the current Bill will lead to a mish-mash of complaint mechanisms across the province.

Bill 130, the Municipal Statute Law Amendment Act, 2006, will allow municipalities to create their own ombudsmen and to hold meetings that are open to the public.

"There is a real danger that if the Bill goes forward unchanged; Ontario will be left with a system of municipal oversight plagued by inequity, inconsistency and ineffectiveness," said Mr. Marin.

In his presentation to the Committee, Mr. Marin pointed out that the municipalities would be allowed to appoint their own ombudsman and set out their powers and duties; they may even select a city employee. "Under no circumstances should ombudsmen be employees of the organizations they oversee," emphasized Mr. Marin. He explained that an effective Ombudsman's Office is built on four cornerstones of independence, impartiality, confidentiality and a credible investigative process.

"An Ombudsman is intended to be a watchdog, not a lapdog," stressed Mr. Marin. He recommended that the Bill set out minimum standards for municipal ombudsmen to ensure that they are able to provide effective services to the citizens of Ontario.

The Bill allows the Provincial Ombudsman to investigate if there are complaints about the municipal council failing to hold open meetings. However, the municipality can opt to appoint its own investigator and thereby prevent the Provincial Ombudsman from conducting an independent investigation of the complaint. Mr. Marin recommended that his office should automatically investigate any complaints about open meetings.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, released the following statement after President Obama signed the Dodd-authored Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act into law this afternoon:

Today marks a victory for American consumers and an end to the deceptive, misleading or otherwise abusive practices of credit card companies. Gone are the days of gouging hardworking families with any time, any reason rate increases and unreasonable fees and penalties. With the signing of this bill, President Obama has ushered in a new era where consumer protections will be strong and reliable, rules transparent and fair, and statements clear and informative. Today is the day we finally make credit card companies accountable to their customers and responsible for their actions.

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