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Former CEO confronts ASFA on administrative errors with by-election
After a by-election that named two much-needed executives and one new independent councillor for ASFA, it is possible that students will return to the polls.
Last year’s Chief Electoral Officer Nick Cuillerier filed a complaint to ASFA’s Judicial Committee this week that blames current CEO Marvin Cidamon for “gross negligence” with the by-laws that outline how ASFA elections are to be carried out.
According to Cuillerier, the current CEO made at least 15 administrative errors that violate clauses in Annex A. He has asked the Judicial Committee to review if the elections remain valid considering these violations and to consider if Cidamon is still eligible to hold the position.
One of the violations he highlights is the hiring of former ASFA VP Internal Nicole Devlin as a polling clerk. This is in breach of section 20 of Annex A that lists that polling clerks cannot be a current/former executive, CEO, Vice Electoral Officer or anyone involved in administration of the elections.
“Annex A is a 10 page document,” said Cuillerier. “If you're going to be paid hundreds of dollars you should read the document you’re supposed to be enforcing.”
“As far as I know, I did not do anything wrong,” said Cidamon. He added that at least one Judicial Committee member knew of Devlin’s hiring and it was not kept a secret. In fact, Devlin was seen at a polling station in the Hall building sporting her red ASFA executive hoodie.
VP Internal Schubert Laforest who helped hire and train the new CEO said that he presented Annex A to Cidamon with the impression that it was completely understood. However, Laforest admitted that hiring Devlin was illegal and has filed his own complaint.
Cidamon said Cuillerier’s allegations are “baseless” and will be thrown out by council.
“I feel like he feels a little insulted that I didn’t do the election his way,” he continued. The CEO is confident that the “minor” violations will not be grounds to redo an election. “There won’t be another election,” he said boldly.
Laforest said firing Cidamon is not only unnecessary, but a violation of labour laws. “I don’t believe its legal to not pay someone once you’ve agreed to a contract,” he said.
Cuillerier also blames Cidamon for not giving candidates a document called Sanctions and Violations. “[Candidates] need to know what kinds of rules they can break and the penalties associated with them,” he said. The CEO denies any malpractice by not distributing the rules to candidates and said that he “intentionally gave them free range.”
Candidate Katie Brioux said that she left the first candidates meeting with Cidamon confused and unclear of what constituted a violation. “He was very blazé about the whole thing,” she said. Brioux ran for VP Communications and Promotions and lost to Alexis Suzuki by just 12 votes.
No one has suggested any violations with the elections that also saw Paul Jerajian win VP External Affairs and Sustainability and Yasmeen Zahar win the vacant Independent Councillor seat.
Cuillerier suggested that Cidamon and the current ASFA executive may not have been aware of the most recent by-laws due to an older version being posted on the website. He said no less than five clauses were left out of this document including some of the violations overlooked in the by-election. Even without a VP Communications, Cuillerier said there were many reasonable avenues and tools that ASFA could have used to update the site.
Cuillerier plans to be at the Special Council Meeting on Thursday to steer Council in the right direction. “They might want to go to the guy who did it well last year,” he said.
The Judicial Committee will discuss and make its recommendations on Wednesday before the Special Council Meeting at 7pm on the 7th floor of the Hall building.
October 18, 2011
Read by: Luciana Gravotta
Stories by: Jordie Yeager, Nikita Smith, Mali Navia, Aisha Samu
Produced by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi
NHL News
Former Buffalo Sabres captain Craig Rivet continues to play hockey. After finishing his NHL contract last year he signed with the East Coast Hockey League’s Elmira Jackals for a fraction of his previous salary.
Rivet plays for under $850 a week now but the love of the game is what keeps him going he says. He has already declined AHL offers but wishes to return to the NHL if a team will take him. After that, Rivet see’s coaching in his future.
Sidney Crosby may be returning to the game soon. He has been cleared for full contact and has been participating in Penguin’s practice. The star player has been out since a concussion benched him since January 5 2011. Many people consider him the best current player in the game and his return is greatly anticipated.
The Oilers are letting Devin Dubnyk and Nikolai Khabibulin’s performance determine who the main goalie for the team becomes. Khabibulin was signed in 2009 for a 4 year deal worth $15 million but has been consistently disappointing. He was also charged with a DUI last year.
Illegal harvesting of bluefin tuna threatens global supply
Mediterranean operators illegally harvesting Bluefin tuna are threatening the international supply of the valuable fish.
A recent study shows that trading of Atlantic Bluefin tuna surpassed the international quota by 141 percent. That does not include the amount of black-market Bluefin that is not included in national and international databases.
A single fish is worth upwards to $450 000. Countries that illegally capture the fish include Spain, France, Italy and Malta.
A meeting discussing the illegal trade of Bluefin is set this week between Canada, the U.S., the European Union and Japan.
The study recommended the implementation of an electronic-based system to keep track of the Bluefin traded on the market.
The Bluefin industry in Canada, based mostly in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, is worth $10 000 annually. Bluefin is listed as an endangered species in Canada.
Van Gogh's death is uncovered
A new theory claims that artist Van Gogh did not commit suicide like we thought he did. Instead, two boys with a faulty gun accidently shot the 37-year-old artist. The famous art historian, John Rewald discovered this theory after he visited Van Gogh’s hometown in the 1930s.
It is said that Van Gogh never spoke about being suicidal. The boys that shot him were friends of his, who decided to play a game of cowboys in a wheat field. Rewald says that it is likely that they all just had too much to drink.
The bullet entered Van Gogh at a slanted angle, which is extremely uncommon for a suicide. It entered Van Gogh’s upper abdomen, and did not kill him instantly.
Pierrefonds man complains about neighbour Locapro's noise
A man living in Pierrefonds has no complaints about the area he lives in other than the neighbours across the street. The reason is that he lives across from Locapro Inc., a local company that rents out heavy machinery.
Borough bylaws state that no noise should be made before 7 am, but the man says Locapro isn’t following these laws, and he has videos to prove it.
Pierrefonds borough mayor Monique Worth says that when inspectors went to check it out, no noise was reported. The borough has done business with Locapro in the past.
The owner of Locapro has taken measures to minimize noise by replacing loud trucks and asking clients to drop off their machinery later.
Vancouver Riots: Could take up to 2 years before charges are made
Charges for the Vancouver riots will not be made until 2013.
According to Vancouver police, more than 15,000 criminal acts were committed after investigators looked through 5,000 hours of footage.
Between 500 to 700 people could be charged by the time the enquiry is completed.
Police say they want to make sure the maximum charges are made, which is the reason the 2 year delay.
They have also asked the province for more funding to help with the investigation.
The riots happened after the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley Cup final in Game 7 on June 15.
Occupy Wall Street reaches one month birthday
Occupy Wall Street turns one month old today. It has taken the world by force, driving other cities worldwide to protest, including Montreal.
On Sunday, Square Victoria looked nothing like it used to. Tents sprawled everywhere, a makeshift kitchen, a children’s area and even a media center were installed.
Being a movement without leader, decision-making has been an issue for Occupy Montreal protesters.
Some criticize Occupy Montreal for their lack of a clear goal, but others support them. They’ve been given loads of donations from people who wanted to help, but couldn’t stay the night.
As for the Montreal police force, they say that camping in a public square is illegal, but for now they’ll just keep a close watch.
Protesters see this as a sign that as long as they remain peaceful, this protest will run just fine.
Photo by Pauline Mauche
October 17th 2011
Produced By Melissa Mulligan
Read By Joel Balsam
Stories By Gregory Wilson, Audrey Folliot, Joel Balsam and Sofia Gay
Raising awareness one step at a time
Phillips Square, in downtown Montreal, was crowded on Sunday morning. It was the starting point for this year’s Montreal Walks for mental health with Margaret Trudeau as one of its honorary chairs. Esther Viragh reports.
The event united those struck by a mental illness and those who were there to offer their support. The 5 km walk was in its third consecutive year. Its aim was to sensitize the public and to raise awareness on mental health issues. Margaret Trudeau has been part of the event from the beginning.
"I support everything that people do to get the conversation started on mental health issues. Everybody is affected by mental health. It’s becoming the number one cost to our health care in the country."
One in five Canadians will be struck by mental illness in their lifetime. Two thirds of those will never seek professional help. This is due in large part to the stigma associated with mental health. Dave Smaill says: education is key.
"They should be aware, they should understand, they should empathize, sympathize and contribute because it’s a human thing. It’s not unusual, it’s not bizarre, it’s not strange, it’s not crazy, it’s human."
Researcher and clinical psychologist Howard Steiger explains: mental illness is no different from any other illness one can contract.
"It’s not weakness. It’s the same kind of vulnerabilities that underlie other medical problems but that express themselves in people’s emotional reactivities and behaviour."
As the crowd began to walk, the theme of the event resonated in their movement. “Walk towards a world without stigma,” they said, bringing hope for a more tolerant future.
Esther Viragh, CJLO News
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